Ill Met By Moonlight
by ScarlettBladeDancer
Summary: When Ginny decides to sneak into the Slytherin common room one night to prove herself to the Trio, she's in for more than she bargained for...
1. Façades

** ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT**  
  
Chapter One- Façades

Peering over the top of her book, Ginny scowled darkly at the trio sitting and chatting in front of the fire. When they failed to take any notice of her glare, she sunk deeper into the squashy red armchair and tried to concentrate on _Flying With the Holyhead Harpies_, which was replaying the famous 1953 match with the Heidelburg Harriers. A particularly loud burst of laughter from Ron caused her to look up in annoyance just as the Harpies' Seeker made a stunning capture of the Snitch. Irritated, Ginny slammed the book shut and stared menacingly at her brother, who was now positively rolling on the rug with mirth.   
  
...... and the look on your face when you came out, Hermione! Pure horror! Even through all that fur.... His words were overcome with more laughter as the hilarity of the memory came back to him in full. Hermione was trying very hard to look angry with him, but not quite succeeding as the corners of her mouth twitched with a suppressed grin.   
  
If I remember correctly, Ron, you were quite as horrified as I was. In fact, you almost tripped over a sink trying to get farther away from me!  
  
Yeah, well, at least we used the right kind of hair in our potion, didn't we!  
  
Load of good it did you! You almost got yourself caught by Malfoy, which I would _never_ have been thick enough to do!  
  
Nice try, Hermione! Even you wouldn't have been able to stop yourself from taking a swing at the filthy git when he started talking, with that evil smirk on his pointy little ferret face! Besides, you're the one who flew off the handle third year and slapped him, aren't you!  
  
Harry was grinning slightly as he watched his two best friends bickering good-naturedly. A few months ago he would have been joking along with them, or perhaps trying to shut them up. Now the sadness of Sirius's death hung over him like a dark cloud, and he was slow to emerge from the fog of anger and depression the loss of his godfather had plunged him into, though being around his friends always helped. Ginny stared at him for a moment out of old habit, looking at the firelight gleaming on his glasses and dark hair. Then she shook herself, jerking her mind back to the irritation the trio was causing her tonight.   
  
_Not just tonight_, she reminded herself. _Every night. It's not even something they're doing. Quite the opposite, in fact. _  
  
Despite the fact that Ginny had finally taken part in one of their famous adventures the year before and battled horrors that few girls her age could even imagine, Harry, Hermione, and Ron had gone right back to treating her as their baby sister. It wasn't that they were trying to exclude her: they didn't seem to even notice she was there.   
  
_I guess I'm just not worth noticing to them_, she fumed to herself. _I'm not worth anything to those three. Not even to my own brother! _When his other friends weren't around, Ron was quick enough to seek her out. Once Harry or Hermione showed up though, Ginny was delegated back to her former solitude.  
  
_And Ron thought it was bad having to live up to Bill and Charlie and the twins! _she thought bitterly. _At least they weren't best friends with a celebrity and a know-it-all!  
  
_Usually, Ginny was quite fond of her brother and his friends, but tonight her feelings of abandonment and resentment had come to a head. She slammed her book down on the table next to her chair and stormed through the common room and up the stairs to her dormitory. Just before she turned the corner onto the stairs, she threw a last sidelong look at the laughing trio in front of the fire. None of them had even looked up as she left.  
============  
  
As she stared at the red curtains that surrounded her bed, Ginny's mind was racing. The anger which had flooded so violently through her veins was quickly being replaced with something stronger and deeper: determination.   
  
_What I need_, she thought desperately, _is a way to prove myself to them. I mean, sure I did some stuff at the Ministry, but so did Neville. And Luna. And Harry and Ron and Hermione. It was nothing different. It was nothing special. _  
  
For a moment, she was horrified by the selfish, cruel thoughts that were running through her mind. What they had done that night at the Ministry hadn't been some quest for glory: they had been trying to save an innocent man from the Dark Lord! As for the trio, they had never asked for their fame. In fact, they suffered for their bravery, especially Harry. They were just trying to help. How could she forget that they had once saved _her_? She sounded like a Slytherin, despising her own housemates like this.  
  
Ginny shoved these thoughts away roughly. She didn't want fame. She just wanted them to notice her for once, instead of thinking she was part of the decor. _Them?_ asked a cold voice in her head, _Or Harry?  
  
All three of them,_ she thought firmly. _I don't feel that way about Harry anymore.   
  
_Her thoughts went back to the discussion the three had been having in the common room, about one of their infamous escapades, no doubt. But which one? Ron had laughed. You almost got caught by Malfoy, Hermione had said. Ginny sneered. Oh yes, the Polyjuice Potion fiasco. Harry and Ron had managed to sneak into the Slytherin common room disguised as Crabbe and Goyle. Hermione had sat the adventure out, due to a potion that went rather wrong. As far as Ginny knew, her brother and The Boy Who Lived were the only two Gryffindors who had ever managed to infiltrate the heart of Slytherin House. Not even Fred and George....  
  
Ginny sat bolt upright. That was it! Sure, Harry and Ron had done it, but they had had to keep it a secret. If she managed it.... well, if one of the Slytherins caught her, she'd probably lose points. But breaking the rules had never stopped Ron, Hermione, and Harry, Fred and George, or even Bill and Charlie! In fact, rule breaking was in the Weasley blood, with the notable except of Percy. Ginny shuddered. She didn't want to be a Percy.  
  
Quickly she thought through her options for sneaking into the Slytherin's common room. The Polyjuice Potion was definitely out. She seriously doubted she would be able to obtain the necessary ingredients or get the book out of the Restricted Section. Besides, it took a month to brew and she didn't want to wait that long. Transfiguring herself into something else wasn't completely off limits, but there were a lot of ways it could go wrong. It wasn't worth the risk of remaining half Transfigured into a mouse or something for the rest of her life. If only they'd learned Disillusionment Charms! Unfortunately, Disillusioning was N.E.W.T. level magic, and Charms had never been her strongest subject. Ginny sighed. This was leading somewhere she didn't really like, but if she managed to pull this off, then no one would ever need to know.  
  
============  
  
Ginny stuck her head carefully out of her dormitory. There was no one on the stairs and the common room was quiet. The stone was freezing against her bare feet, but her footsteps made no sound as she ascended the stairs to the 6th year boys' room. Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest that her whole body was shaking with it. She breathed a quiet breath of relief when she saw that the door to their dormitory was slightly open. She nudged it lightly, just hard enough that she could slip in sideways, her nightgown brushing the edges of the door.   
  
Moonlight illuminated the small room in which the quiet, steady breathing of five sleeping boys could dimly be heard. It glinted off Dean Thomas' old West Ham soccer poster, Harry's glasses on his bedside table and the trunks at the foot of each boy's bed.   
  
Ginny slid quietly over to Harry's trunk. Her steps were silent. With her white nightgown and a face pale with nervousness and excitement, she looked more like a ghost than a fifteen year old girl, except for her brilliant red hair. Unaware of her unearthly appearance, she knelt and opened the trunk, sucking in her breath when the hinges creaked slightly. None of the boys even stirred. Right on top was Harry's greatest treasure, his Firebolt. Ginny lifted it cautiously out and put it to the side. She carefully shifted spellbooks, spare robes and a stack of _Which Broomstick_ magazines. Then her hand brushed against something silky. She gently tugged it out, smothering a gasp as her hand momentarily disappeared under it. She knew what an Invisibility cloak did, of course.   
  
The sight of her wrist with nothing at the end was still unnerving.   
  
=======  
  
The next day, Ginny was a complete nervous wreck. She had told herself over and over again the night before as she tried to fall asleep that she had to act _absolutely normal_. As a result, she nearly had a heart attack when the mail came, looked nervously over her shoulder whenever she heard the word or , and jumped every time a teacher called on her.   
  
By lunch, things were going downhill rapidly. When Ron tapped her on the shoulder to pass her a bowl of mashed potatoes, she jerked so violently that her knee flew up and hit the bottom of the table, knocking over her goblet of iced pumpkin juice.   
  
Erm, Gin? said Ron quietly, attempting to mop up the spill with Hermione's napkin.  
  
she replied, sounding unnaturally high pitched, even to herself.  
  
Are you all right? I mean I haven't seen you this jumpy since Harry came to stay at our house that first summer, you know, when you had a crush on him and you were always....  
  
Yes, Ron, I know what I was always doing, she replied acidly, pleased that her voice was at least back in its normal octave, even if she did sound cranky. Thanks so very much for mentioning it. He looked rather taken aback at her attitude.  
  
Well, honestly, Ginny, I was just wondering if you were....   
  
I'm fine, thank you! She slammed her goblet upright on the table, got up, and fairly stormed away from the table.  
  
There's no need to bite my head off! he yelled after her. She sprinted out of the Great Hall, ignoring the snickers behind her and wishing desperately that the day would just end so she could get this stupid adventure over with.  
  
Despite her distraction, Ginny worked feverishly during class, trying to finish her homework early so she could take as much time as necessary on her mission. The work for O.W.L.S. was hard, but not nearly the terror that her brother had warned her of. _Maybe it's the fact that I didn't spend my first four years here trying to save the world, s_he thought wryly, pushing the memory of her nightmarish first year firmly out of her mind. It was something that hovered almost constantly on the edge of her awareness, the horror dulled only slightly by the intervening years.   
_Thinking about that is the very last thing in I need to be doing right now_, she told herself and turned back to her Potions essay, trying to ignore the images flickering madly through her mind, her body shuddering...   
  
...._The black book, looking innocent with its black cover, black like night, black like empty pits, the words oozing out of the paper, kind, comforting, understanding words, her new friend, Tom..... Tom smiling, Tom speaking quietly to her, Tom standing by her, standing as she fell, fell through blackness, fell and fell and fell forever, never landing, always falling, screaming with terror, terror that was never going to end, but would go on forever, her helpless screams mingling with his laughter, cold, high laughter, mocking her, snatching away her hope, her happiness, her life.....  
  
_ Her shout echoed through the cold, silent dungeon. The entire class turned and stared at her. Snape looked up from his desk, his cold eyes boring through her.  
  
Is there a problem, Miss Weasley? His words cut like knives, cruel and uncaring.  
  
Um, um, I... blotted my parchment, Professor. A long dubious silence followed this pathetic excuse. Ginny gulped and awaited her sentence. Snape arched an eyebrow at her.  
  
Very well, Weasley. Twenty points for disrupting my class. Back to work.  
  
She let out a relieved breath. Twenty was a ridiculous amount of points for disrupting class, but at least he hadn't pressed her for the truth.  
  
Potions was her last class of the day. She sat in silence through dinner, not eating, just waiting. She knew she was going to have to follow a Slytherin to find their common room. First, however, she had to retrieve the Invisibility cloak from where it was hidden in her own trunk. After fifteen agonizing minutes, she slipped quietly out of the hall and up to her dormitory.   
  
============  
  
If seeing your hand disappear was unnerving, then standing next to the Slytherin table, completely invisible, but feeling like you were in plain sight, was downright surreal. Any second Ginny expected one of them to stand up and demand why she was there.   
  
_Why am I doing this again?_ Ginny asked herself silently. _Oh yeah, to prove that I'm as good as the rest of them. Good lord, where did I get such a stupid idea?_ At the same time, however, the adrenaline pouring through her veins was making it feel like the most exciting thing in the world. _This is going to be so great!  
  
_Without warning, a whole group of the Slytherins stood up. Graham Prichard, Blaise Zabini, and Millicent Bulstrode all headed down the hall toward the dungeons. Trying to slow her pounding heart and keep her breathing quiet, Ginny hurried after them.   
  
They walked for about five minutes, going past the Potions classroom and stopping suddenly at an empty stretch of stone wall.   
  
Oye, Graham, did you get the new password from Draco? asked Blaise.  
  
Nah, Pansy told me. _Serpensortia!_   
  
A hidden door slowly emerged from the rock wall, then swung open. The three Slytherins passed through, followed closely by Ginny. The door swung shut again and disappeared. As it melted back into the wall, a terrible thought occurred to her: she didn't know how to reactivate the door spell! It might even require another password. What if no one else went out tonight? She might not be able to get out again till morning. Turning to face the grim, stark common room, Ginny shuddered. This was enemy territory. This was not somewhere she wanted to spend the night.   
  
The only light in the room, besides the fire, came from eerie greenish lamps that hung from the low ceiling. The stone walls were mostly bare, making the room seem colder than it actually was. Instead of the squashy red armchairs of Gryffindor Tower, there were high backed chairs of black leather, which looked quite uncomfortable. The result was a stiff, formal, though rather elegant sort of old-fashioned sitting room. Ginny was horrified.  
  
_All right,_ she thought, trying to pull herself together, _Now I need something to prove I was actually here. _A sudden, rather wicked thought made her grin. It meant waiting longer, of course, probably until most of the Slytherins were asleep, which greatly reduced the chances of her getting back out again that night. But if she managed to pull it off.... She grinned again and carefully settled herself into a corner to wait. She remembered what she had told Harry just last year.   
  
The thing about growing up with Fred and George, she had said thoughtfully, is that you sort of start thinking anything's possible if you've got enough nerve.  
  
==============  
  
The ornate grandfather clock in the corner read the hour as 11:30. It had been nearly two and a half hours since a Slytherin had come into the common room and the last one had gone to bed an hour before. Ginny's legs were prickling all over from remaining in the same uncomfortable crouch for so long. She slowly stood up, leaning against the wall to keep her knees from collapsing, then tiptoed to the nearest dormitory door.   
  
Ginny eased the door open, mentally thanking the house-elves for keeping the castle doors so well oiled. Pansy Parkinson's ugly face was on the nearest bed, filling the room with snuffling snores. Definitely the wrong room. She pull the door shut again and slid into the next room along. Sneaking quietly through the stone chamber, she saw several sleeping boys: Blaise Zabini, muttering to himself in his sleep, two snoring lumps (Crabbe and Goyle), a small ratfaced boy named Theodore Nott, and one other, his eyes still open. Ginny froze. Draco Malfoy was not asleep.   
  
_Damn_, she thought, turning away with disappointment. It was something of his she was after, his Nimbus 2001 to be exact. If she brought that back to the Gryffindor common room, no one would doubt her story. Only the Slytherin Quidditch team played on Nimbus 2001's. But there was no way she was going to be able to open Malfoy's trunk and waltz off with his broomstick while he was awake, invisible or not. No, she'd just have to sit in here and wait till he fell asleep and then hope that....  
  
Ginny stopped dead in her tracks with disbelief. What she was hearing all of the sudden... it was impossible. Not just impossible: it was totally incomprehensible. Quietly she stepped back over to his bed, peering at his face. Her mouth dropped open.  
  
Draco Malfoy was crying.  
  
==========


	2. Encounters and Challenges

**ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT**  
  
Chapter Two- Encounters and Challenges

In her shock, Ginny completely forgot where she was and what she was suppose to be doing. It was like her entire world had been flipped upside down. She was standing in the Slytherin dormitory in the middle of the night, watching Draco Malfoy, the cold-hearted, arrogant ferret, the boy who had been nothing but cruel, rude, unfeeling and downright _evil_ since the day Ginny had met him, cry as though his heart was breaking. He was a total wreck, his face screwed up with misery and his pale cheeks flushed red. His normally icy gray eyes were softened by the tears that flowed down across his face.  
  
A shocked gasp escaped Ginny, quite against her will. She clapped her hand over her mouth in horror, but the damage was done. He knew someone was there. He raised himself up on one elbow, his eyes narrowed suspiciously and his sobs stilled. Ginny backed slowly away from him, praying that he wouldn't hear the rustle of her clothing. Unfortunately for her, Draco had grown up in a house were the invisible was much more dangerous than the visible and his senses had adjusted accordingly. With a lightening speed born from hours of Quidditch practice, he reached out and snatched the cloak off her head. In her haste to get away, Ginny tripped over the cloak, which was now dangling useless from her shoulders, and ended up in an undignified sprawl on the hard stone floor. She scrambled back up, but it was too late. Malfoy had slid from his bed, grabbed her arms and twisted them viciously behind her back, forcing her up on tiptoe to try to escape the pain.  
  
What are you doing here, you dirty little weasel? he hissed coldly, but quietly in her ear, all trace of tears gone from his voice, though they still streaked his face.   
  
None of your business, Malfoy! she spat at him, all but inaudibly. She had no more wish for his roommates to wake up than he did. The fact that they were still asleep at all was nothing short of amazing.  
  
Oh, but it is my business, Weasel, he sneered. You see, it's _my_ dormitory you're trespassing in after curfew. I'm sure Professor Snape would be thrilled to issue you a punishment of some sort. Don't you think, _Weasel_? he asked, wrenching her arm painfully on the last word. With any luck at all, there'll be one less red haired piece of filth dirtying this school by the end of the night.  
  
Ginny sucked in through her teeth with pain, but now her fear had been replaced with anger. Growing up with six brothers had given her a lot of practice when it came to self-defense and escape. After all, Fred and George had always needed another test subject for their jokes, willing or not, and her mother hadn't always been able to keep an eye on the rambunctious twins.   
  
Drawing her leg away from the floor, she kicked backwards into Malfoy's shin _hard_, ramming backwards into his stomach with her trapped fists at the same time. With a muffled cry of pain, Malfoy let her go. Ginny snatched her wand out of the sleeve of the t-shirt she had slipped on under her robes and pointed it directly at his face.  
  
Care for another Bat Bogey Hex, Malfoy? she asked coldly, breathing hard from the pain that was still shooting through her arms. And if you're so eager to get me in trouble, I'll be more than glad to tell the entire school that I caught you _crying_. They'll believe me, Malfoy. You know they will. Everybody knows you're nothing but a weak little ferret.  
  
Malfoy was doubled up clutching his stomach, his eyes watering again, but this time for a different reason. Her own Quidditch training as a Chaser had given Ginny the ability to throw (and punch) with both strength and accuracy.  
  
Stupid, dirty Mudblood lover, he whispered, trying to get back his breath. You'll pay for this.  
  
Ginny gave him a sneer almost good enough to match his own.  
  
Like hell I will, ferret. She picked up the Invisibility cloak from the floor and started to back out of the room, keeping her wand firmly trained on his face as she went. Just remember, Malfoy. One word about this to Snape or anyone else to get me in trouble and I'll tell the whole school about you. Even your own housemates would snicker behind your back. So watch what you say. Draco stared after her with unadulterated hatred.  
  
Why are you here anyway, Weasley? he hissed after her. What are you up to? Ginny grinned and closed the dormitory door in his face.  
  
She darted through the common room, dodging around chairs and tables by the light of the dying fire, for the green lamps had long ago been extinguished. Faced with the blank stone wall, she whispered and let out a sigh of intense relief when the door swum mistily into existence. Pulling the cloak over her head, Ginny started on the trek back to her own common room, her mind still in shock from the unexpected events of the night.  
  
===========  
  
Whirling billywigs, she whispered quietly to the Fat Lady, who (luckily) didn't even bother to open her eyes, but merely swung open, revealing the familiar and homey Gryffindor common room. To Ginny, the red armchairs and warmly crackling fire could not have been more beautiful. She closed her eyes and slid tiredly into the nearest chair, yanking off the cloak as she did so.   
  
_I can't believe I've nearly pulled this off! _she thought. _All I have to do is sneak the cloak back into Harry's trunk and no one will ever be the...  
  
_The sound of a furiously slammed door made Ginny's eyes fly open again, only to be confronted with a horrendous sight. Her brother, Hermione, and Harry were all standing in front of her. Ron was nothing short of livid, his ears bright red and his eyes practically flaming with rage, yet at the same time looking almost haunted. Hermione was on the verge of tears, her face positively frantic, while Harry was deathly pale, his hair sticking out even more wildly than usual as though he had run his fingers through it in desperation. He looked both frightened and worried.   
  
Ginny let out a mental groan. _Wasn't this what you wanted?_ she mocked herself inwardly. _For them to _notice_ you?_ Another peek at Ron's expression made her heart sink. He was about to start on a first class rant. She could just tell. _I am not even up for this.  
  
_Ron drew a huge breath and then started to bellow in a manner Ginny thought only her mother was capable of.  
  
DO YOU HAVE EVEN THE SLIGHTEST IDEA WHAT WE'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH FOR THE LAST FOUR HOURS?! WITH ALL THAT'S BEEN GOING ON YOU DECIDE TO GO MISSING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT FOR NO REASON?! FOR ALL WE KNEW YOU WERE DEAD! FOR ALL WE KNEW YOU WERE..... Ron trailed off in the middle of his sentence. Ginny Weasley was completely and indisputably asleep.  
  
========  
  
The next day was Saturday, which was lucky for Ginny. By the time she had actually woken up, gotten dressed, and stumbled down to the Great Hall, the other three were having lunch, talking quietly among themselves. Ginny knew their conference could not be good news for her. Probably discussing the best way to kill her. _Maybe Hermione managed to calm him down_, she thought hopefully. The look on Ron's face when she had down next to him said otherwise. She sighed. _Or not.  
  
_However, as Ron started to open his mouth, Hermione cut in, throwing him a reproving look.  
  
Now, listen Ginny. And please don't fall asleep this time, because it really is important. I don't want it to seem like we're trying to baby you, because _all three of us_, here Hermione threw another look at Ron, know that you're very capable of taking care of yourself. We all respect you for that. Even so, there's been a lot of really dangerous stuff going on, and we don't want anything to happen to you.  
  
We don't want to lose you next, added Harry quietly, and Ginny could see the pain of Sirius' death clearly on his face, as well as concern for her.   
  
said Ron, You've got to understand, the last time you went missing.... He trailed off and she saw the haunted look in his eyes again as the memory of that night came back to him. He took a deep breath. The last time, you got really bloody close to not coming back at all. I don't ever want to have to give my sister up for dead again. Alright?  
  
Ginny looked from one serious face to another, guilt and shame growing slowly in her stomach. I...I'm so sorry. I didn't...realize. I was just trying to.... Then she remembered what Hermione had said: ...you're very capable of taking care of yourself. We all respect you for that. _I didn't need to prove myself to them_, she realized. _They gave me credit all along. _  
  
At the same time, a treacherous little voice, the same voice that had gotten her into this mess to begin with, was whispering: _You fool. She didn't really mean it. She's just trying to get you to agree to not do anything for yourself. She thinks you're just a weak little baby. They all do.  
  
_Pushing the voice away almost as violently as she pushed away her memories, she smiled at Hermione, Harry, and her brother.  
  
I'm really sorry, you three. I didn't understand how much it was going to bother you. I promise I won't do it again. They grinned back at her, all greatly relieved.   
  
Erm, by the way, Gin. Harry couldn't find you on the Marauder's Map last night, which is one of the reasons we were so worried. Ron frowned a bit. So, um, where were you?   
  
Ginny smiled inwardly. Although the whole idea had been to impress the Trio, she suddenly felt that her little adventure in the Slytherin common room would be better kept a secret. Besides, if she told them about Malfoy, he was sure to find out and rat her out to Snape.  
  
That, Ron, is something you have absolutely no need to know. But rest assured that I was perfectly safe. _Well, mostly safe,_ she added mentally. Ron, however, suddenly looked suspicious.   
  
You weren't with another one of those _boys_ of yours, were you? he asked. Ginny almost started laughing.   
  
No, Ron, I can say with complete honesty that I was not with my boyfriend last night. He looked, if anything, more nervous.  
  
Your boyfriend? So, you're saying you have one? Who is it? Not that bloke Corner again, I hope. He was really...  
  
Ginny groaned.   
  
Please, Ron! Just drop it!  
  
==========  
  
Peering past several ugly Hufflepuffs, Draco Malfoy caught sight of two heads of bright red hair at the Gryffindor table. Leaning slightly to the side, he could see their faces. Both of them were grinning like idiots, as were Granger and Potter. Draco's stomach dropped, though his face remained as cold and impassive as ever. The little piece of filth had gone back on her word. No doubt they were over there laughing at his supposed weakness. _But of course, _he thought. _She was raised that way. To squirm her way out of trouble and then do whatever she wants. Just like her brother, and the Mudblood, and Potter._ Draco almost spat. Potter. Friend to all sorts of scum. He had no idea what real honor or duty was. He just did whatever suited his own needs, and others applauded his . All because of something he hadn't even done. All because of a stupid cut. He'd never have to make a real sacrifice. Others would always do it for him, because he was saintly, special little Potter. Potter had no idea. Potter would never know loyalty. Potter would never know pain.   
  
As these bitter thoughts ran through his head, the four Gryffindors got up and started to walk out of the Hall, past his table. Draco tensed himself, ready to take their mockery, ready to deny whatever the little weasel had told them. They drew closer, closer, closer... they walked past. They kept walking. They didn't even stop to throw him a look of scorn or derision back at him. Draco was nothing short of shocked. Only the red-haired girl looked at him as she passed and her glance was full of some strange emotion, not quite anger and not quite scorn. Then she sneered and brushed insolently past him. Draco almost gaped after them, but pulled himself together quickly. Was it possible she hadn't told them after all? Was she actually going to keep her word? He shook his head, more out of confusion than denial. No matter. He had more important things to think about just now. Far more important. Feeling suddenly ill, he shoved his plate away and strode quickly from the hall.  
  
=========  
  
Ginny followed the Trio back up to the dormitory, her mind in a whirl again. Now that the trouble with her brother was cleared up, all the questions of the previous night came back to her with even more urgency.   
  
What on earth or off of it was terrible enough to make _Draco Malfoy_ cry? The idea of Malfoy actually being sad about something, or being capable of showing any sort of caring emotion at all, was downright ludicrous. All this had filled her mind as she walked by the Slytherin table and saw him sitting there, his face totally composed, his gray eyes icy and hard. Yet somehow, even his look of cold detachment as she passed him couldn't quite erase the memory of his impassioned and desperate tears the night before.   
  
_Curiosity killed the cat, _her mother had always told her. Ginny's insatiable urge to know and discover had landed her in hot water more times than she could count. Her quest as a child had been to explore, everything from what the inside of a gnome's burrow looked like to what would happen if you put Floo Powder in a Fizzing Wizbee and gave it to your older brother (Charlie had been angry for weeks). As she had gotten older, her pranks grew less frequent, for she recognized Fred and George as the untouchable masters of the craft, but her inquisitive nature had persisted. Her brothers, especially Percy and Ron, had often called her nosy or interfering. However, the twins and Charlie, and Bill, though he wasn't often home, understood her better. There was no exterior motive to Ginny's curiosity and it wasn't spiteful or mean: she just _had_ to know!  
  
All of her catlike nature was nagging at her now. What, what, _what_ was bad enough in spoiled, pampered, filthy rich Malfoy's life to make him cry like that? _It's really not my business, I suppose,_ Ginny thought reluctantly. Then, quite suddenly, another emotion besides curiosity stirred within her: concern. If there was really something wrong, maybe she'd be able to help...   
  
_Are you listening to yourself!_ she shrieked mentally. _Help Malfoy? HELP MALFOY? The stupid arrogant berk is nothing but pure evil! _  
  
But was pure evil capable of grief that deep or emotion that strong?  
  
_This is really, completely, and totally not my problem, _she told herself firmly, climbing through the portrait hole behind Hermione.  
  
But then why was the memory of tears running down Draco's face haunting her as strongly as the memory of Harry's smile ever had?  
  
===========  
  
Sitting at one of the library table, Ginny stared blankly at her parchment, trying to form some sort of cohesive thought about the use of yarrow in Mending Medicinals that she could put in her Potions essay. All of her work in class the day before still hadn't finished it, in part because Snap wanted two rolls of parchment and in part because she had....  
  
Feeling the blackness pressing in on her mind again, she pushed her quill away quickly and stuffed her books and notes back into her bag.   
  
I'm gonna go, um, do a little Quidditch practice. Get some fresh air, she informed Ron and Harry, who were absorbed in a game Exploding Snap. Madam Pince was throwing death looks at them every couple seconds.  
  
said Ron vaguely. He carefully placed a card on the growing stack in front of them, which blew up spectacularly. Ginny grabbed her bag and practically sprinted from the library, Madam Pince's furious screech echoing down the hall behind her.   
  
==============  
  
Having dropped off her stuff in the common room and changed from her school robes to a beaten up pair of Muggle jeans and one of the infamous Weasley sweaters (she didn't want to get her Quidditch robes dirty, and besides, the pink sweater wasn't _that_ bad), Ginny walked across the grounds towards the Quidditch pitch, her broom over her shoulder. She tugged absentmindedly at the sleeve of her sweater as she went, for she'd almost outgrown it. Her jeans were also an inch or two too short for her. Weasley children came in two builds: short and stocky like their mother, or tall and gangly like their father. Charlie, Fred, and George all fell into the first category, while Percy, Ron, Bill, and now Ginny were part of the latter.  
  
She had been quite relieved when she hit a growth spurt at the end of her fourth year: Ginny'd never fancied ending up short and plump like her mum. Moreover, the clumsy streak that afflicted Ron so badly seemed to have passed her by. She didn't trip over her own feet, for example.   
  
Ginny rather suspected that all of the clumsy accidents she was supposed to have in her entire life had instead occurred in a much shorter time period: the month that Harry had first stayed at the Burrow, to be precise. During that month she had used up all the awkwardness and discoordination that she was allotted for her lifetime. Thus, she now walked with a sort of lanky grace, less like Ron and her dad, and more like her oldest brother, Bill. Furthermore, her hands and feet were far more in proportion to her body than Ron's. In fact, she was actually beginning to look almost... _not quite pretty,_ she thought, _but not hideous, either_.  
  
She sighed a bit. Her jeans were still disgracefully short, though. Not that she was going to ask her parents for a new pair. Buying Ron his new Cleansweep 11 last summer had cost them more money than they were willing to admit, and she didn't even wear her jeans that often during the school year.   
  
Speaking of brooms.... Ginny looked at her own broom, a more than slightly battered Cleansweep 7 that had previously belonged to her wildly talented brother Charlie. If only she'd been made a prefect... but no, she knew that Jessica Dorny had deserved the badge much more than she did. Besides, even a new broomstick wouldn't have been worth the teasing from the twins.She grinned to herself, kicking off hard from the ground, and feeling a fierce joy at the clean wind whipping through her hair. _Who knows, with all that money from the joke shop, maybe they'll give me a broom as a congratulations for _not _making prefect. I'm sure they're awfully proud of me for helping them break the curse. _The curse was how the twins referred to the tendency of members of the Weasley family to be made prefects, and/or Head Boy.  
  
The easy, familiar exhilaration of being on a broom all but chased away the darkness in her mind. Ginny felt happier than she had in weeks, or maybe even months as the sharp air and bright blue autumn sky lulled her into a sort of waking dream. Then, on the ground, a flash of bright blond hair and black robes jerked Ginny sharply out of her reverie. Draco Malfoy was standing on the field below her, watching.  
  
===============  
  
After he had fled from the Hall, Draco had gone to the only place he really felt at ease in: the Quidditch field. At school, often the only time he was happy was when he was flying. Even his many losses to the Gryffindor Quidditch team couldn't take away from the thrill that he got while flying on his Nimbus 2001. After an hour or so of soaring around the pitch, he was windswept and tired, but happy. His discontent of the morning was all but gone. Pulling his broom into a sharp dive, he plummeted down, brushed his toes against the grass, then landed neatly. Out of the corner of his eye he suddenly saw bright red hair and an equally bright pink sweater. _Damn_! he cursed to himself, sliding behind the stands that he had landed next to, blocking himself from her sight. _Is there no way to escape these cursed Weasleys? There's so many of them, they're everywhere! Like lice, or maybe roaches! Nowhere's safe from them!_  
  
Then he had to stand and watch while Weasley, thinking she was alone, mounted her ratty old broomstick and skimmed easily around the field, a look of pure joy on her face. After awhile, Malfoy turned away. Normally, spying on girls was something he took great pleasure in. But somehow, watching Weasley fly when she obviously thought no one was looking made him feel, not guilty so much as embarrassed. _People shouldn't show that much emotion on their face_, he thought savagely. _It's weak. But then again, she is a Weasley._ He sneered.   
  
All of his own happiness had fled and he suddenly felt anger rising in his veins. Who was she to come out here and ruin his day like this? Stupid rodent, sitting there on her broom. Balancing his own across his shoulder, he strode out into the middle of the field and stood there, staring at her insolently, daring her to come down with his mocking gaze.  
  
_Unfinished business, Weasley, _he thought. _Come out and play.  
  
=================  
  
_Ginny could feel herself flushing as he fixed her with a piercing stare. This had the unfortunate side effect of making her even angrier, for she could sense his challenge, even without being able to see his face properly. She jerked her broom down toward the ground hard, going into a dive so steep she wondered for a second if she'd be able to pull out again before she hit the ground. _Of course I can, _she fumed, irritated. _I've seen Harry manage dives twice this steep. _Sure enough, she leveled out her broom at exactly the right moment and stepped from the air to the ground in one smooth movement, matching Malfoy stare for stare. He blinked slightly as she landed, for she was looking him straight in the eye: he doubted there was as much as a centimeter difference between their heights. In the dormitory he'd been too distracted to notice. _Well, what do you know, _he thought. _Little Weasel's all grown up. _His smirk widened as his eyes swept the rest of her body. _In more ways then one.   
  
_Ginny, who was taken entirely by surprise at his look, felt her anger growing even stronger. How _dare _he? She took a step forward and spat on the ground at his feet.  
  
What do you want, ferret? She flushed momentarily, hearing how that question must sound to Malfoy, but stood her ground. _Let him be a nasty little perv if he wants.  
  
_Malfoy, however, went dead serious. The scare at breakfast had made him realize exactly how much he cared about whether or not the whole school found out he'd been crying, even in the light of... everything else.  
  
I want a guarantee that you aren't going to sell me out to any of your little friends. What if you decide that it's worth a massive loss of points to ruin my... reputation? Ginny almost laughed.  
  
Well, first of all, maybe you aren't aware of this, Malfoy, but you don't have much of a standing as a tough guy around school anyway. More of a wimpy little kind of guy. Second, I gave you my word that I won't rat you out if you don't rat me out. I meant it. Draco gave her a distrustful look.   
  
The word of a Gryffindor? Ginny's mouth twitched at the doubt in his voice.  
  
Well, you know, it's not _my_ House that's known for selling people out. It'll just have to do. I'm certainly not going to give you another secret to hold me hostage with!  
  
Draco arched an eyebrow at her, then heaved a sigh.  
  
Well, I suppose it'd be awfully easy to get you expelled anyway.  
  
  
  
Fine. Just watch it, Weasley. I'll have my eye on you. Ginny shivered a bit at the thought of Malfoy watching her for another whole year. It was... disturbing.  
  
Erm, well, no need, really. I definitely don't want to get expelled.   
  
But he was already walking away. Her anger quelled by his uncertainty, Ginny's curiosity returned with a vengeance. She hesitated for a moment, then called after him.  
  
Hey, Draco! _Good lord, did I just call him by his first name? Oh well, too late now. _He turned and faced her, none of the surprise that he felt showing in his face.   
  
Erm...what were you, you know, um, crying about? He looked at her with cool disdain.  
  
What were you doing in our dormitory? I assume you weren't just there to spy on me, he countered smoothly.   
  
Well, I, um, that is, I was.... she stuttered.  
  
That's what I thought. He turned on his heel and started to stride away again.  
  
she called softly after him, not really expecting him to hear. Much to her shock, he whipped around sharply, the look on his face hovering somewhere between total boredom and violent anger. She gulped.   
  
Are you... all right? The concern in both her usually venomous voice and her usually sharp eyes shook him to the core. Here was one of his worst enemies, someone who he could have sworn wouldn't have thought twice about shoving him into the lake and feeding him to the giant squid, standing in front of him and asking if he was _all right. _It was like the world had turned on its head. He wouldn't have blinked if Professors Snape and McGonagall had tapped danced past them, painted blue and singing the national anthem.   
  
His shock was such that he did something he had rarely done in his life. He trusted her.  
  
My mother killed herself, he whispered, staring intensely at the ground. They sent me the owl yesterday. She slit her wrists with a Severing Charm. He felt the treacherous tears filling his eyes again. _Why the bloody hell did I just tell her that? Stupid weasel bitch.   
  
_She closed the distance between them, not quite daring to touch him, but not willing to just stand and stare at him.  
  
Oh god, Draco. I'm so sorry. He looked suddenly up at her, his eyes glittering with unshed tears... or was it malice?  
  
No, you aren't, you filthy lying Mudblood lover. It's just one less Death Eater for you and your family to kill, isn't it? He shoved her away from him hard, so hard she knew she would have bruises on her arms in the morning, and ran, blindly, not quite sure where he was going, just fleeing to escape her and her bloody lies and her false sympathy. He almost laughed. He hadn't even told her the worst of it: with his father in jail and his mother dead, the Death Eaters had no one to represent the Malfoys in their ranks. _The Dark Lord insists that all the pureblood families be represented,_ his father had told him once. _Your day will come_. Draco knew that any morning now another owl would come for him during breakfast:  
  
_Draco Malfoy, the time has come to serve your true Master and receive the Mark of his favor.  
_  
===============  
_  
_A/N  
Hey, wow, thanks very muchly for reading! I'm eternally grateful! Questions? Comments? Complaints? Anything I've messed up royally? Review! I live for reviews! Or send me an email, if you like. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the gods for Flogging Molly's CD, Swagger, which I listen to an average of 4 times a day whilst writing this story. I would also like to NOT thank my parents, who think I'm absolutely insane for sitting in my room all day typing. But hey. Anything for Draco and Ginny!  
  
PS I know this story might seem to be moving a bit slowly, but I'm sort of trying to set the stage and all that. Besides, I really like going into detail. So please, bear with me!  
  
DISCLAIMER- Whatever it is, I don't own it. In the case of the Firebolt and the Invisibility Cloak, I most sincerely wish I did. Hey, I'd even settle for a Cleansweep 5 like the twins, whom I adore. But such is life.   
Thanks again!  
-Scarlett  
  
_  
_


	3. A Dangerous Game

ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT  
  
Chapter Three- A Dangerous Game  
  
Ginny stared out across the lake, shivering slightly as the wind snaked around her, spreading a chill down her back. She pulled her too-short sweater closer about her in vain. The sun had just set, leaving the Hogwarts grounds as frosty as midwinter, though the leaves had just begun to turn.   
  
_What the hell just happened? _she asked herself for the hundredth time. Mentally, she knew that she had tried to comfort Draco Malfoy and he had pushed her away. At the same time, however, the last day seemed surreal and impossible. She had tried to comfort Draco Malfoy. She had tried to comfort Draco Malfoy. She had tried to comfort Draco Malfoy. No matter how many times she said it to herself, her mind couldn't even begin to accept it. In her heart, however, the realization had already sunk in. She had felt sorry for him. And yet, it went deeper: she had tried to comfort Draco Malfoy as though she _cared _about him. She hadn't thought about it. It had just been instinctive, as easy as breathing. Natural. Normal. Right.  
  
_No, no, no! _her mind was wailing. _He's evil! He's made life a living hell for my brother for 6 years! He's insulted our family, our Mum, our house, our _lives! _He hates everything about us and we hate him! Remember the song he made up last year during the Quidditch match? I'd never seen Ron so hurt or scared in my life! He's never done anything good! Him and his family are _Death Eaters_ for god's sake!  
  
_ That, however, made her remember the words Malfoy had spat in her face before he fled: _It's just one less Death Eater for you and your family to kill, isn't it?_ And it was true. His parents were servants of Voldemort: her father and brothers or any other member of the Order wouldn't think twice about killing his parents in battle, or at least capturing them. Yet, at the same time, the memory of his words made her shake with shame. She told herself that they were evil, and that they deserved what they got, and that Draco was just as bad as they were, but it didn't make any difference. With one parent dead and one in Azkaban, Draco was as good as an orphan. Just like Harry.   
  
_No, _she thought harshly. _Nothing like Harry. Remember what his father did to you? He's the one who almost killed you! He's the reason all of it happened, without him you'd never have had the diary, never written in it, never met... Tom. You'd still be innocent! You still be... pure.  
  
_Ginny trembled harder, feeling the darkness that lurked in her mind and heart rise up, stronger even than it had been during Potions. It devoured her, it consumed her, sucking at her like a vampire. She rocked back and forth on the grass, her arms tight around her knees, thoughts and feeling battling without end in her head.   
  
He's just a boy, she whispered.  
_He's evil.  
_Evil can't care like that. He loved her!_  
You thought Tom cared. He's nothing but darkness. Just like Tom.  
_ she whimpered. No, he's not.  
_He'd kill you in a heartbeat. He's a Death Eater.  
_No, he wouldn't, he's not! But she knew it was true.  
  
She couldn't go back and face them like this, not any of them. Not Ron, not Harry, not Hermione. Not Draco. Never Draco. So she sat beneath the willow tree as the moon rose and sent its shimmering beams across the lake. The light glittered off her tears._  
  
_==========_  
  
_Malfoy had ended up, of all places, on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. He'd been sitting there for hours. Somehow the dark terrors concealed in the shadows of the trees under the rising moonlight and mist seemed exceedingly tame when compared with the horror that was his life.  
  
Narcissa Malfoy had never been what one would call a doting mother. Her time and energy had always been directed elsewhere, namely in the service of the Dark Lord. Still, she was his mother. Although the great passion of her life lay in the Dark Arts, she had loved him, in her own cold way.   
  
As the child of a rich pureblood family, Draco had never wanted for anything. His mother had made sure of that. Whether this was because she merely wanted to keep him out of her hair or because she was trying to make up for the love she was unable to give him, Draco couldn't even venture a guess. And if there had been times in the almost unrecallable past when he wished for loving parents, he had long ago come to the conclusion that having everything in the wizarding world that money could buy instead was a fairly good trade.   
  
She didn't know how to raise a child. Nor did she care. Her and her sisters had grown up in an adult's world, with no attempt to protect them from harsh realities. She'd seen her first dead body at the age of six, when a Muggle insulted her father on the street. Draco had received no more coddling than she had, for that made a person weak and the Dark Lord had no use for weaklings.  
  
Once, she had told him she loved him. He was nine and an epidemic of dragonpox had been spreading through the the country. One of the house-elves brought it to the Manor and Draco was the first to fall ill. His father had left, unwilling to take the risk of becoming infected, but Narcissa stayed. When all of the house-elves were too sick to tend to Draco, she'd done it herself. She didn't sing lullabies or tell him stories; the kind of stories Narcissa knew probably would have given him nightmares anyway. But she brought him water and held him when the fever rose too high for him to think and never left him alone, even when he was asleep. Then, one night, just before the fever finally broke, she leaned down to his flushed and sweating face and whispered:   
  
I love you.   
  
He knew it for the truth. Although Narcissa had been many terrible things: murderer, torturer, and thief, she was not a liar.  
  
Now she was dead. His father was in prison, which Draco really couldn't have cared less about, except for how it affected him. Any day now, the dreaded letter...  
  
_God damn it, I'm too young! _he thought with fury. _What use is a sixteen year old Death Eater going to be, anyway? It's just for the ridiculous Oath. _  
  
The Dark Lord had made a vow when he first came to his full strength that all the pureblood families would support him and his cause, willing or not. The Imperious Curse made short work of the unwilling, in any case. During the past fourteen years, the lack of a Malfoy representative wouldn't have made any difference, for the Death Eaters were scattered and disorganized. Now, however, the Dark Lord wanted to make up for lost time, and his stupid Oath was just one more thing that had to be obeyed and fulfilled.  
  
And then there was the unfathomable Weasley girl. Draco would have been sure that her attempts at sympathy were nothing more than a plot to humiliate him, except for one thing: she hadn't told Potter and his little gang when she found him crying in the dormitories. _Maybe, _he thought, _she was just waiting to find out what I was crying about, so that she could look even better when she told them. _Somehow this plan seemed a little too clever for a Gryffindor. If she was Slytherin, then he would have been sure that was what she was doing. As it was, he couldn't even begin to guess what she was playing at.   
  
A small, involuntary tremor went through him as he remembered the look in her eyes. It was almost like she was hurt, but not in the usual way. Not because of anything he'd said or done to her. Hurt because he was hurting.   
  
_No, _he told himself harshly. _Even a Weasel wouldn't be that weak. She's just a little more clever than I would have expected. Bloody bitch, tricking me like that. Probably going to spread it around the whole school. _He felt like punching a tree with frustration. Any way he looked at it, his life was falling apart. His mother dead, his father in prison, himself about to join the Death Eaters, and as if all that weren't enough, he was practically being held hostage by a _Weasley_, of all the humiliating people, and her sinister, backstabbing plans.   
  
A twig cracked behind him. He whirled around, snatching his wand from his robes and pointing it directly at....  
  
What the bloody hell _is _it with you, Weasley? Some sort of magnetic attraction? Ginny looked levelly back at him, her own wand pointed directly at his chest.   
  
Listen, Malfoy, she said coolly. You can think whatever you want, but I am sorry that your mother's dead. I'm not sorry that there's one less Death Eater to kill innocent people, but I am sorry that your mother's dead. He sneered.  
  
And what, may I ask, is the difference? But Ginny had agonized over this for too many hours beside the lake, fighting her way through the darkness in her mind to come to this conclusion. She wasn't about to be shaken by his derision.   
  
I'm not exactly sure. But I know there is one.  
  
How typical of a Gryffindor. You don't even know why you think or do things. You just blindly accept it.  
  
How typical of a Slytherin. You can't accept the truth without seeing, touching, and tasting it. _Oh, crap,_ she hissed inwardly. _What is it about him that makes everything I say come out incredibly suggestive?  
  
_At the same time, however, her body was reminding her of how he felt pressed against her, as he had been in the dormitory, his breath against her cheek, his hands on her skin. She was suddenly very aware of her heartbeat throbbing in her chest, her breathing coming faster.  
  
_All right, that's quite enough! _she thought, and took a step back from him, rather shocked at her own reaction. _Sympathy is one thing, but this is taking it a bit too far. He's still Malfoy, dead mother or no.  
  
_Scared, Weasel? he asked her, his voice dangerously low, having obviously misinterpreted her gesture.  
  
Of what, you? In your dreams, Malfoy! He arched an eyebrow. _Oh bloody hell, I did it again!  
  
_Perhaps, Weasley, he answered, apparently amused. In fact, Draco was fighting to repress feelings of his own. It was a fact that he could probably have any girl in the school that he wanted... except, just maybe, the lanky redhead who was standing so fearlessly in front of him, friend and sister of his two greatest enemies. After all, something about forbidden fruit makes it the sweetest of all.  
  
said Ginny abruptly, her voice cracking slightly. I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry. You don't have to believe me. And I'm not going to betray you, so you can bloody well relax!   
  
Language, Weasley, he sneered. So, you came all the way out here in the middle of the night to tell me you're sorry my mother died. His voice was mocking and full of disbelief.   
  
Yes, Malfoy, that is exactly why I came out here. I wanted to clear it up once and for all. Then she smirked slightly. By the way, I only knew where you were because, considering the direction you ran off, you were either heading toward the forest or you were going to Hagrid's hut. Unless you and Hagrid have some sort of relationship that I'm not aware of....  
  
Weasley, that is nothing short of disgusting!  
  
So are you, Malfoy! she said sweetly. His mouth twitched with... was that laughter?   
  
_Here I am, joking with my brother's greatest enemy on the edge of the Forbidden Forest in the middle of the night, and yet somehow, when compared to the bizarreness of the past few days, this feels almost normal.  
  
_Suddenly she realized that the distance she had put between them had inexplicably disappeared. She was looking straight into Draco's face, not even two inches from her own. All traces of amusement were gone and his eyes were harder than ever. She felt herself blush brilliantly under his steady look.  
  
_No, no, no! This can't be happening!  
  
_Well, I guess I'll just... erm, be going, then! she said, squeakily, backing hastily away again.  
  
You do that, Weasley, he said, turning away from her, trying to ignore the moonlight running along her hair like water. She couldn't see his face and his voice gave nothing away. I'll see you later.  
  
Ginny whirled around as though released from a spell, almost sprinting away from him, up toward the school. Shivers shook her body.   
  
_Was that a threat, _she wondered, _Or a promise?  
  
_=============_  
  
_ Ginny breathed a sigh of relief as she entered the common room to see her brother and the rest of the trio chatting once again in their favorite spot in front of the fire. A glance at the clock on the wall next to the bulletin board told her that is was in fact only seven, although the darkness and moonrise outside the castle had made her feel it was much later. _  
  
Thank the lord I didn't miss dinner, _she thought wryly. _Ron might have had a heart attack! _All same, she wasn't really sure she was hungry: her breakdown by the lake and the encounter with Malfoy in the forest had left her weak and feeling rather ill. She knew the feeling better than she might've wished, for she'd spent much of her first year in a similar state. _Wonder why it's been so severe lately, though. _She'd gotten caught up in flashbacks and depression more in the past week than she had for nearly a year previously.   
  
Catching sight of the calendar on which Quidditch games and whatnot were posted, Ginny suddenly realized. Today was October 30th. Tomorrow was Halloween. It would be the fourth anniversary of her first possession and attack.  
  
Relieved to know that there was some sort of logical explanation for _most _of her odd behavior lately, she wove her way through the crowded room to sit next to the trio. Ron and Hermione were absorbed in yet another one of their famous arguments, but Harry looked up from his book and smiled when she came in. _  
  
_Whatcha reading, Harry? she asked, dropping her broomstick on the hearth rug and flopping down beside him, still marveling at her lack of reaction to his presence. It was much nicer to be able to act normal around him.  
  
_Curses and Countercurses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying and Much, Much More)_, he answered, reading off the cover. Ron got it for me for my birthday. He's knows I've always wanted to read it, even though it's a bit out of date. Ginny laughed.  
  
I love that book! Where did you think I got my famous Bat Bogey Hex from? Harry grinned back at her, but it looked a bit more strained than usual. You all right, Harry?   
  
He stared into the fire, looking as though he saw something miles and years away.   
  
Well, you know. Halloween tomorrow and all.  
  
_The night his parents died, _Ginny realized with a shock.   
  
Sirius told me once that they used to have Halloween parties, back before they had to go into hiding, Harry said, the words catching slightly. Them and all of the Marauders, all their old friends from school. He cleared his throat and Ginny realized he was fighting back tears. Anyway, maybe you should help Ron and Hermione over there, he said, obviously trying to turn their discussion toward a more cheerful subject.   
  
Ginny arched a doubtful eyebrow. No one in their right mind interfered once Ron and Hermione had gotten going on a dispute.  
  
Can't decide which curse to use on Malfoy, he explained. Hermione thinks we should use Hair Loss, it's sure drive the vain little git up the wall. Ron's more in favor of Tongue-Tying.  
  
See him spread his nasty lies then! Ron was saying enthusiastically. Harder to smirk with his dirty forked tongue in a big old knot, wouldn't it be?  
  
Ginny yelled. A deafening silence filled the common room, in which every single person turned around and stared as though she'd grown an extra nose. More in fact, since Fred and George had recently released a line of sweets that make you sprout eyeballs out of the back of your head and so on. Ginny wished someone would do her a favor and turn her into a toad, or failing that, announce that dragons were attacking the school.   
  
_Got to say something, _she thought numbly. _Got to say something.  
  
_Erm, I.... rather agree with Hermione, she faltered out wretchedly.   
  
At this, one of the girls in the corner giggled hesitantly. As though they were released from a trance, the rest of the common room slowly came back to life, their chatter rising up again like a tide. All except for Harry, Ron, and Hermione.  
  
Did you just... stand up... for Malfoy? Harry choked out, having apparently gone into shock. Ron and Hermione both looked as though someone had come along and casually bashed them in the face with a sack of Galleons. Did you just stand up... for _Malfoy_?  
  
The image of Draco, standing in front of her, his eyes fixed on the ground, his entire body tensed, overwhelmed her. _My mother killed herself. _The hardness and suspicion in his eyes as she faced him in the forest, the feeling of his hands hard around her wrists in the dormitory. All thoughts of denial and apology fled from her mind, replaced with a wild and reckless defiance.  
  
she spat at them viciously. I did! Does that pose some sort of a problem for you three? A small part of her mind was horrified at the spite and venom that filled her harsh words toward her friends, but Ginny crushed it ruthlessly. The last thing he needs is for one of you to pull some damn cruel prank on him! With that, she strode angrily from the common room, slamming the door savagely behind her. The three looked at each other, stunned.   
  
Erm, got an explanation for that one, Herm? Hermione stared back at them, looking dazed by Ginny's wrath.  
  
That time of the month? she ventured. The three fell back into bewildered silence.   
  
==============  
  
As she pounded down stairways and echoing stone corridors, Ginny's anger only grew, though it changed target.   
  
_He did some sort of spell on me, _she thought furiously. _That's the only explanation! I'm going to worm it out of him if it takes all night! _ She paused for a moment. _Damn it, did it again! Bloody innuendo!  
  
_Having stormed her way down to the Great Hall, Ginny paused in the entrance hall. The odds of Malfoy still being in there were extremely good, because on the weekends dinner was served any time between six and seven thirty. However, as tempting as it was to run up to the Slytherin table and start interrogating him, the rumors it would start would be so horrific, she didn't even want to think about it. Instead, Ginny positioned herself carefully behind a boar statue to one side of the stairway. That way she could see everyone who walked by, but they couldn't see her from the Hall. Ignoring her furiously grumbling stomach, Ginny crouched, waiting like a spider in the shadows.  
  
Then, after no more than five minutes, she heard footsteps nearing her hiding place. Only one person. She crossed her fingers, waiting, waiting, waiting.... Blond hair! Green and silver badge! Pale pointy face! Ginny pounced, grabbing him roughly by the back of his robes and dragging him a couple feet down the hall to an empty classroom. As quick as Draco could be, he never stood a chance against Ginny's stealth attack.   
  
Well, so much for the whole sympathy thing! Draco said, rather irritated, throwing an almost nervous glance at Ginny's wand. She looked about ready to impale him with it. What the hell's your problem now, Weasley?  
  
None of your crap, Malfoy, she snarled. Take it off! Now!  
  
He looked slightly taken aback, but his instinctive sarcasm took over immediately.  
  
Weasley, as flattering as your demand is....  
_  
_You MORON! she yelled. Not your clothes, you arrogant prat! The spell!   
  
The utter blankness of his look was amazing. If her previous comment had taken him by surprise, this one quite simply left him dumbfounded.   
  
What spell?  
  
What _spell_? WHAT SPELL! she shrieked. The spell that you put on me to make me.... She trailed off. The look on Draco's face left no doubt: he hadn't the slightest idea what she was talking about.  
  
Listen, Malfoy, she said, much more calmly, almost desperately. Just now in the common room, Harry and Ron and Hermione were trying to decide which hex to use on you.  
  
Thanks for the warning, but that's nothing new, he muttered bitterly. She glared at him, then continued.  
  
The point is, when they told me what they were talking about, I... I... She gulped hard. I stood up for you. I told them not to.  
  
Wide gray eyes met equally wide brown ones in profound astonishment.  
  
And you think I put a spell on you to make you do it? asked Draco. Like I need or even _want _a Gryffindor standing up for me?  
  
I, um, I just couldn't think of a better explanation, Ginny muttered, embarrassed beyond belief. Draco heaved a long suffering sigh.  
  
That's right. Anything goes wrong for a Gryffindor, blame Malfoy and the Slytherins! Ginny felt a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.  
  
Mind you, it is your fault most of the time, she pointed out.  
  
he retorted grandly, Is beside the point.  
  
Ginny started to giggle, then repressed her mirth hastily. _Remember where trusting evil got you last time_, she reminded herself sternly.   
  
And yet, the wild recklessness that had brought her down here in the first place was still churning within her. It had felt so good to tell off the Trio. _Too good, _she thought uneasily. It had reawakened something in her, something fierce and hungry, something that she had kept trapped deep within for too long. The adventure in the Slytherin common room had just been an excuse to let it out, she realized now. Ever since then, she'd spent all of her time trying to restrain it again, but it was so tempting, this spirit of rebellion.... too tempting.  
  
Feeling a sense of inevitable doom, like she was taking the first step on a path from which there was no turning back, she took a slow step towards Malfoy, looking steadily into his icy gray eyes.  
  
After one moment, in which the entire world seemed to freeze, he lifted his hand and brushed one finger, oh so slowly, across her cheek and over her mouth. Ginny let out her breath in a small gasp. Somehow, she had expected his hand to be cold, like a snake, but that one touch had more heat than anything she had ever felt in her life.  
  
You, Miss Weasley, he whispered in her ear, leaning so close she could feel the warmth of his body against hers, Are playing a very dangerous game, indeed.  
  
============  
_   
  
  
_A/N  
  
::clears throat proudly:: Well, there you have it: Chapter Three! Took me long enough, I know! Hope it was all right and that it isn't getting too cheesy. Pretty, pretty, PRETTY please, with hot fudge syrup and sugar and a cherry on top, REVIEW! I worship reviewers! You people make it all possible! Speaking of reviewers.........  
  
- Ten million thousand thanks forever and ever to Arwen Luinel, who reviewed me just when I totally felt like giving up and gave me wonderful encouragement, as well as helping me fight off the dreaded writer's block!! This chapter is thanks to you! Here's lookn' at you, kid!  
-Delighted gratitude to Amour-Lily (I LOOOOOVE your story, update soon!!!), who has been awfully supportive. You rock so totally and both your reviews had me giggling with happiness!!  
-Whoo, periodi-scuri is the best!!!!! Your super enthusiastic responses make me soooooooooo squeaky with joy, man!!  
- I'm also in undying debt to the marvelous Soul Stealer Immortal and of course to Sandypantz, who was my very first reviewer ever! ::wipes away a tear:: Thanks loads you guys!  
  
Thankee kindly for your time!  
-Scarlett  
  
PS- NONE OF IT IS MINE (except the plot)! I DISCLAIM EVERYTHING!! And I deny everything, too, but that is a different story for a different day, kids!  
  
========


	4. Swift as Shadow, Black as Night

**ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT**  
  
Chapter Four- Swift as Shadow, Black as Night

Above Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a storm was brewing. Ominous black rain clouds blotted out the moon, plunging the grounds into murky darkness. An icy gust of wind brought with it a midwinter chill and a smell of rain. Inside the castle, some students looked uneasily out the frost covered windows at wind-tossed trees and the stormy lake, then moved closer to the fire or curled up warmly in their beds.  
  
Others did not.  
  
==========  
  
Draco Malfoy was having a very strange evening. After he had collected himself from their unnerving encounter in the forest, he had gone in to have dinner. That part had been all right, or at least normal. No one in their right mind would define having to watch Crabbe and Goyle mindlessly stuff their faces as all right. Even might be a bit of a stretch at times. Trying to distract himself from the piggish tendencies of his fellow Slytherins, Draco had fallen into a rather morbid series of thoughts, mostly centering around what it might feel like to get the Dark Mark, though he spared a few moments to ponder what they would make him do to prove his worthiness to the Dark Lord. Killing his own mother was, in any case, definitely out of the question, he thought bitterly. Still lost in dark musings, he'd begun the long walk back to the common room....  
  
Only to be attacked by Weasley. Again.  
  
Draco had been trying his hardest to not think about the things she had said to him, both on the Quidditch field and in the forest. The way she was acting made no sense whatsoever, and that disturbed him greatly. He was used to being able to identify people's motives and thus use their actions for his own good. Unfortunately, the Weasley girl was defying all the usual rules, and he didn't know what to make of it.   
  
So there he stood, bemused, as she proceeded to accuse him of mental manipulation and general evilness. Then he knew he was back on solid ground. For of course, despite all her fine words of sympathy and trust, Weasley was just as ready to blame him as usual. Bloody liar. Bloody bitch. Draco, without knowing why, felt strangely betrayed.   
  
Then she told him what had happened in Gryffindor Tower, and his world proceeded to flip around again. She had _stood up _for him? She had stood up... for _him_? Of her own accord, no less, for in spite of what she might think of him, he wasn't desperate enough to put illegal curses on Gryffindors. Not yet, anyway.   
  
Then, instead of cursing her into oblivion the way she deserved, he had started _teasing _her! It was ridiculous! It was absolutely insane! The fact that he could actually make her laugh only made it worse. That he had felt a small stab of pleasure at her smile made it a nightmare. What was this idiotic girl _doing _to him?  
  
When she stepped toward him, challenge and fear in her eyes, he hadn't known what to do, which was a shock to begin with. Usually_ he_ was the one in control in situations like this. Now, with a single step and a simple look, she'd rendered him completely helpless. It confused him. It made him feel.... weak. Above all, it made him angry. And his anger pushed him past his confusion and his weakness and the way his body was aching for her. Girls didn't play with Draco Malfoy's feelings; he played with theirs. With a brush of his fingers over her lips and a whisper in her ear, he was in power again.  
  
Or so he told himself.  
  
He told himself that he was just doing it so he could use it against her later. He tried to convince himself that this was all part of his continuing battle against the trio, just something to be thrown in their faces when they least expected it.  
  
God, what a lie.  
  
At his whisper, her body went tense, and he couldn't help himself. Quicker than a breath, before she could move away or even blink, he pushed swiftly her against the wall and pressed his mouth to hers, hard enough to bruise. He hadn't meant to be so rough, but then again, he hadn't meant to kiss her at all. Then, before she could recover or react, he pulled away. Or tried to, rather, because Weasley pulled him back against her.  
  
If that's evil, Ginny whispered, gasping for breath, Then I never want to be good again.  
  
And crushed against him in a kiss so fierce, Draco Malfoy was left in awe.  
  
Then, footsteps in the corridor outside, voices.... the doorknob turning.  
  
They broke apart so fast that Ginny almost fell to the floor. She caught herself just in time and whipped out her wand in unison with Draco, almost as if they'd planned it.  
  
Their eyes met in complete astonishment for the second time that day. Then Ginny grinned wolfishly. Draco smirked back.  
  
I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, MALFOY, YOU DISGUSTING FERRET! she shrieked, as Seamus Finnigan and Lavender Brown walked in.   
  
Do I look like I'm scared, filthy little weasel? he spat at her, then took a hasty step backwards as she attempted to punch him. Seamus and Lavender leapt forward and pulled her away from him.  
  
No, Ginny! yelled Seamus over her angry shouts. He's not worth it!  
  
Calm _down_, Ginny! squealed Lavender, looking quite frightened by the younger girl's ferocity. Please! You're going to get yourself in trouble!  
  
_Oh,_ thought Ginny, smilingly inwardly. _You have no idea how much trouble I'm in.  
  
_Draco stepped scornfully around the three Gryffindors towards the open door.   
  
I'll see you later, _Ginny_, he said mockingly as he passed her. Lavender and Seamus were so intent on glaring at him that they totally failed to catch the look that Ginny gave him, her mouth widening in a smirk to rival his own. Her cheeks were flushed, though not with anger, despite what her fellow Gryffindors might think.  
  
See you, Draco, she mouthed silently as they yanked her bodily out of the room past him.  
  
Draco stared after her. Very strange didn't even begin to describe it, he thought, remembering the younger girl's fierceness. Then he smiled slightly, recalling Ginny's reaction to their impending discovery by her classmates. She'd done the same thing as him: manipulated the situation and lied. Like any good Slytherin. Oh yes, there was no doubt that him and Miss Weasley were going to have a very good time together. No doubt at all.  
  
============  
  
Oh, Ginny! moaned Lavender as her and Seamus propelled her swiftly along the corridors toward Gryffindor Tower. Why did you have to go and get in a fight with Malfoy? You know he's going to tell Snape, and you'll lose us _so_ many points!  
  
Ron is going to kill you, added Seamus, He's been so bloody protective of you lately, I'm surprised he let you out of his sight at all! Then you go and almost get in a duel with that stupid wanker! Maybe Ron's got a point!  
  
It's not like I'm in any danger from Dra.. Malfoy, Ginny retorted irritably, trying in vain to free herself from their grasp. After all, she added, with sudden sweetness. Ron doesn't really _have_ to get angry , does he? If you two don't tell him....  
  
Nice try, Ginny. said Seamus wryly, But I've been getting enough lectures from Ron and Hermione as it is. I don't fancy what it'd be like if I lied to them about this. Lavender nodded in vehement agreement.  
  
What were you two doing down there, anyway? asked Ginny, trying another tack. Lavender giggled.  
  
Not what you and Malfoy were doing, let's put it that way, shall we? she said, and giggled again. Seamus smirked.  
  
_Weren't you just_, Ginny thought ironically as the portrait of the Fat Lady loomed ahead.   
  
Whirling billywigs, Seamus muttered. Ginny tensed her shoulders and stepped through the hole calmly, Lavender and Seamus still gripping her arms. She drew a breath, preparing to defend herself to her brother....  
  
Who wasn't there. A quick look around the common room revealed that it was deserted, save for two shrimpy second years studying feverishly at one of the small round tables.  
  
You see? snapped Ginny, yanking her arms away from the two Gryffindors. He didn't even notice I was gone. So run along, you two, and next time let me fight my own battles, all right? Lavender glared at her, affronted, then slammed out of the common room in a huff.  
  
What if he finds out? said Seamus uneasily, glancing after the irate girl.   
  
Ginny gave him a cold look.  
  
Never fear, Seamus! she said mockingly. I'll protect you from my big, bad brother if he comes after you. He looked stunned by her scorn, then his eyes filled with indignation.  
  
What the hell's your problem, Ginny? he demanded angrily. We stop you from getting decapitated by Malfoy or expelled for fighting, and you bloody bite our heads off! He stalked off after Lavender, no doubt eager to finish their delayed snogging session. Ginny repressed the urge to sneer after them. _Good lord_, she thought. _I'm acting like a Slytherin. Like.... Draco. _She knew the thought should have made her feel guilty. It didn't.  
  
She slept better that night than she had for months, except for dreams in which Tom Riddle played no part at all.  
  
===============  
  
The next day was Halloween. Despite the storm the night before, morning came bright and clear, much to the relief of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Ron had a two hour practice session planned for them after lunch, focusing on some new moves and especially on more precise interaction between the three Chasers: Ginny, Dennis Creevey (whose exuberant energy was finally finding an outlet on the Quidditch field), and a tomboyish, cheerful third year by the name of Natalie McDonald.  
  
Ginny had woken up with a pounding headache and a churning stomach. Some small, sensible part of her mind what asking what the _hell_ she had gotten herself into now. However, most of her was recalling the sudden, stabbing joy when Draco kissed her, the sense of utter rightness as she pulled him to her and kissed him back. In comparison to that, her headache faded to a trivial detail. Well, almost. Then she remembered the unfinished Potions essay.... Ginny sighed and rolled out of her bed, feeling a bit lightheaded. She unsteadily pulled on her jeans from yesterday and a rather ratty t-shirt, and headed down to breakfast, resigning herself to a day of homework and being yelled at by Ron for not working seamlessly enough with Dennis and Natalie.  
  
A quick glance at the Slytherin table as she walked towards her own revealed that Draco had either all ready had his breakfast or was still asleep. Natalie waved from the Gryffindor table. Ginny slumped down glumly beside her fellow Chaser, ignored the vicious glances Lavender and Seamus were shooting her and halfheartedly snagged a piece of toast off the nearest platter.  
  
Hey, Gin! said Natalie with disgusting cheerfulness. Ready for our weekly torture session? Been working hard on the Hawkshead?  
  
Not really, Ginny muttered indistinctly through a mouthful of toast.  
  
Oh, good, neither have I! declared the sandy haired Gryffindor brightly. Still, no worries, eh, not with the feast tonight! I heard that this is gonna be the best one in years, ever since that one with the dancing skeletons and all. Actually, my friend Orla, she's in Ravenclaw, she said that....   
  
Ginny put her hands to her aching head and tuned Tally's prattle out. She had no memory of a Halloween feast with dancing skeletons, but she did have a shrewd guess why. This day was falling all to pieces. And of course, she still had that Potions essay to finish, _and_ she had to review Switching Spells for Transfiguration, now that she thought about it. And that research for Ancient Runes was due tomorrow, not to mention the History of Magic exam on Tuesday _and_ the two hours of Quidditch practice.... With a despairing groan, Ginny buried her head in her arms.  
  
What's the matter, mate? asked Natalie, having finally noticed her audience was less than completely captivated by the gossip about the feast. You feeling all right? she asked, her normally carefree face was marred by a concerned frown. She blinked as Ginny raised her disheveled head and peered around blearily. Blimey, you look bloody awful! You should go to the hospital wing, have Pomfrey give you a potion or something to perk you up!   
  
Not a bad idea, Tally, she said, then stumbled to her feet. Save me a sausage or two, eh?  
  
Sure thing! Natalie called anxiously after her. Just don't leave me all alone in practice with Dennis and your... uh... um..... she trailed off as Ron walked into the Great Hall, talking with Harry.  
  
Ready for practice this afternoon, Gin? he called gleefully as she passed him. She waved vaguely in his direction and tried to concentrate on remembering where exactly the hospital wing was.  
  
When she finally arrived at the bright, sunny room, it was totally deserted.   
  
Um, hello? she called out hesitantly.  
  
What do you need, dear? said Madam Pomfrey, bustling kindly up to her from her office.  
  
Ginny focused in on her face.  
  
Um, I think I might have a cold or the flu or something, she muttered. I'm really dizzy.  
  
Yes, you've got a bit of a fever, the nurse said absently, placing a hand on Ginny's forehead. Come lie down for a moment and we'll see what we can do. Ginny stumbled gratefully to a bed and curled up, closing her eyes.  
  
She hurried back a minute later, holding small bottle of sky blue pills and a glass of some murky potion.  
  
All right, Miss Weasley, just chew one of these and wash it down with this and you're as good as new!   
  
Ginny looked curiously at the pills.   
  
Erm, is it just me or is that... Fever Fudge? she asked, slightly disconcerted. Madam Pomfrey chuckled.  
  
Yes, dear! Turns out your brothers' candies are good for more than trying to get out of class.  
  
Just be sure and never tell them, Ginny mumbled, sitting up and gulping the pill and potion, gagging a bit as it went down. They'd be horrified that the Snackboxes can put people back _in _class instead of taking them out.  
  
Oh, I don't doubt it! Now, run along back to your dormitory and get some more sleep, all right? Ginny, slid off the bed, still feeling unsteady. That Fever Fudge and the Purifying Potion won't fight that nasty bug off on their own.  
  
Yes, Madam Pomfrey, she muttered, swallowing nervously and hoping the disgusting potion would stay in her stomach where it belonged. This day had gone from bad to rotten with alarming speed, and Ginny suspected that it was going to get worse before it got better.   
  
================  
  
If Draco had to name the top five worst ways to start a day, finding out that his father had escaped prison, only to be killed by Aurors, would without a doubt have to be number one. He stared down at the Daily Prophet morning edition rather numbly. _  
  
An attempted breakout from Azkaban Prison last night ended in the demise of a Death Eater, Lucius Malfoy, by the hands of Ministry Aurors. Since the desertion of the dementors, former guards of Azkaban, security had been very tight at the prison and the wardens can offer no explanation for this violation. Several guards have been taken in for questioning.  
  
_And that was all there was to it. His last hope for deliverance, gone_. _He knew he should being feeling at least some sadness for his father's death, but all he felt was dread and anger. Besides, what had his father ever done for him? Mocked him. Ignored him. Treated him like something substantially less than a Mudblood. Made it clear that nothing Draco was capable of doing would ever be good enough to make him worthy. Humiliated him in front of just about everyone, including the damn Trio. In short, his father had made his life a living hell.   
  
_And look, Father! _he thought bitterly. _You win again! Even in death you've got the last laugh at me, you vicious bastard. I'm sure you'd be so pleased.  
  
_His mother must have known, he realized. Somehow she had found out that his father's escape would be unsuccessful. She might even have sabotaged it herself, unlikely though it might seem. With Death Eaters, anything was possible. She also must've realized that, as one of the few people aware of the planned escape, she would be under suspicion from Voldemort and the inner circle. Narcissa Malfoy knew too much, and so she chose the easiest way out.  
  
He glanced again at the paper. Under the article were two pictures. One was of Azkaban, the only movement being the crash of the waves on the stone cliffs that surrounded the fortress. The smaller one was his father, staring out haughtily. _Lucius Malfoy, accused Death Eater, _stated the caption beneath it. Draco pulled out his wand.  
  
he whispered, and watched as small flames licked the paper and his father's face burned, blackened, and was consumed. Then he reached out and crushed the sparks with his hand, unflinching, feeling a detached satisfaction at the searing pain. A grating voice jerked him out of his reverie.  
  
Oye, Draco! called Blaise. Better do something about that owl!   
  
He blinked and focused back on the table, where a barn owl was beginning to partake in his bacon. A sealed parchment dangled from its leg. He reached out and pulled off the letter, then swatted the owl away from his food. It took off again, throwing him a reproachful look as it winged its way out of the Hall.  
  
With some trepidation, he flipped the letter over and broke the unmarked seal. There was no salutation.  
  
_Come to the Forest tonight.  
  
_The emblem at the bottom, two serpents entwined and three silver stars, was that of his Aunt Bellatrix.   
  
_If there's a worse way to start the day_, Draco thought bitterly, _Then I hope I never live to see it.  
  
_Then again, considering who he was going to be seeing tonight, perhaps he should be careful what he wished for.  
_  
_================  
  
said Ginny, putting a triumphant flourish on the last word of her essay. My headache is almost entirely gone, and I've got no more Potions homework for an _entire_ 24 hours!  
  
said Natalie, looking over her shoulder at the four foot length of parchment, That's actually quite depressing. I mean, considering that you're probably going to be sleeping for most of those 24 hours....  
  
Shut up, Tally, Ginny said, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes. You're ruining my first 30 seconds of freedom. Natalie giggled, then glanced at the clock and jumped up, horror evident on her face.  
  
Oh my god, if we aren't out on the Quidditch pitch in the next minute and a half, Ron's going to kill us! Ginny leapt up in a state of equal alarm: her brother took his new duties as Quidditch Captain to an almost obsessive level, and if they had to start practice late, then heads would roll.  
  
All right, all right, calm down, Tally! she said, valiantly trying not to panic. You run up to the dormitories and grab our robes and I'll run down to the broomshed and get our brooms, I'll meet you in the entrance hall in three minutes, we change into our robes and Ron'll never know! Natalie gulped, nodded, and sprinted out of the library. Ginny set off for the broomshed at a dead run.  
  
_I knew it, _she thought as she panted down the corridors and out onto the grounds. _Nothing is going to go right today! Nothing! _She darted hurriedly into the broomshed, grabbed her own broom and the Nimbus 2000 that Tally rode, and dashed back out again, slamming the door behind her.  
  
The two girls arrived at the Quidditch pitch only four minutes late, which didn't quite earn them a lecture, just an exceedingly irritated look from Ron as they panted up to join the rest of the team.  
  
Now that Ginny and Natalie have decided to join us, he snapped. Ginny held back a derisive sneer. Natalie looked remorsefully at the ground and sighed as he began his speech on the importance of the new moves they would be working on today.   
  
Ron said briskly, We're going to focus a lot on inter-team awareness, especially between you three. He indicated the Chasers. It's really important that you always know what the other players are doing, so that you can react and respond.... Ginny felt her mind start to drift. Not surprisingly, the first topic that came to mind was Draco. It had been so strange last night. She almost felt as though she'd been with someone else entirely, not Malfoy but _Draco. _The difference was astonishing. She flushed a little, remembering, but she wouldn't regret it, _couldn't _regret it, not when it had felt so....  
  
She was brought back to the present with a jolt as the rest of her teammates took off, leaving her standing on the ground like a fool.  
  
_This_, she thought, her face rivaling her hair for sheer brilliance of color as she mounted her broom, _Is going to be the worst day. Ever.  
  
_================  
  
Outside the castle, night had fallen. Inside, however, the feast was just beginning and the Hall was brilliantly lit. Floating jack-o'-lanterns illuminated the excited faces of the students, chattering and laughing with their friends. A festive mood filled the air, one of pleasant expectation and pure glee.   
  
Ginny was miserable.  
  
Maybe it was the last lingering effects of her illness. Maybe it was the memories, the dark memories which made her feel so out of place and vulnerable here in the middle of all the brightness and noise. Either way, she was desperate to escape. To be somewhere else, _anywhere _else. Somewhere dark and quiet and cool. Somewhere away from the painfully radiant light and the revolting chatter of the students.  
  
Almost desperately, she searched with her eyes through the crowd to the Slytherin table. Where was Draco? She hadn't seen him all day. A sudden stab of fear and doubt pierced her. Was he all right? _Why are you worrying about him?_ asked the obnoxious, self-righteous inner voice that sounded a lot like Hermione at her worst. _You should be celebrating the fact that he's not here._   
  
_Of course I'm worried, _she retorted. Draco had shown her a side of himself that she would never have guessed he had. A side that felt and feared and wanted. What's more, he had trusted her, trusted her as no one ever had before. A smile quirked across her mouth as she remember their act for Lavender and Seamus. Yes, they were in this together now, and nothing would change that.  
  
=========  
  
Draco was nervous. Standing uneasily beneath the outer trees of the forest, he waited in the shadows, peering into the darkness and twitching at small noises. Who knew what Bellatrix would do if she sneaked up on him unawares. Probably Crucio him, just to teach him a lesson.  
  
A distinctly unnatural noise made him freeze, listening as hard as he could. There it was again: the rustle of a cloak from among the trees. He composed himself and turned to her smoothly, his face a mask of ice.  
  
she said, tilting her head slightly, her long dark hair brushing across her face. She regarded him inscrutably through her half-lidded eyes.  
  
My dear auntie, he replied wryly, giving her a mocking half-bow.   
  
Quicker than a striking cobra, so fast his eyes didn't even track the motion, she reached out and slapped him hard across the face. He raised a hand to his cheek in shock. It came away bloody. One of her rings, a silver serpent, had left a long cut. It burned like fire. He wondered if she had poisoned it.  
  
You may consider yourself high and mighty when you are with your little friends at school, boy, but among us you are the lowest of the low, she informed him coldly. Keep it in mind, if you have one.  
  
He didn't respond.  
  
My, how quickly you learn, she said, the derisive smile on her face at odds with her glacial black eyes. The time had come to fulfill your destiny, boy, but first you must be proven worthy.   
  
He still didn't meet her eyes.   
  
Find us a spy, she said shortly. Someone who can spy on Potter. We would have you do it yourself, but, like the fool that you are, you made him your enemy. Draco, recalling the punishment from his father when Lucius learned of his failure to befriend Potter, almost sneered at her in anger, but fought it down, keeping his face perfectly blank. She watched his struggle with cold detachment.   
  
If you manage that, she continued after a long moment, Then you will be accepted into the ranks. I will oversee your training myself. Draco knew better than to ask what would happen if he failed. I will contact you again in a month.  
  
Draco bowed his head in acquiescence. She smiled with distant satisfaction, then turned to go. Suddenly, between one blink and the next, she was standing close by him, so near he could feel her breath on his mouth. She tilted his chin upward and looked into his eyes for a moment, searchingly, midnight black meeting steel gray. He was transfixed by her look, quite unable to move. Fear, as well as something darker, filled him.  
  
Make me proud, she whispered. And then she was gone. He leaned against the nearest tree, closed his eyes, and slid to the ground.   
  
============  
  
After another fifteen minutes, Ginny couldn't stand it any more. She glanced farther down the table to the Trio. Harry and Ron seemed to be deep in discussion about something Quidditch related, while Hermione was ranting at some innocent Gryffindor second year about the mistreatment of house elves. The boy looked confused and frightened in equal measure. None of the three were looking her way. Checking to see that Natalie was occupied in conversation with Jack Sloper, Ginny slid stealthily out of her place, out through the Hall and onto the grounds.  
  
Without knowing exactly why, some instinct drew her farther into the night. She drifted past the Quidditch pitch, past the Whomping Willow and past Hagrid's hut until she came to the edge of the forest. There he was, leaning against the same tree they had met under before, his hair almost silver in the moonlight. As she drew closer, his eyes opened and he looked straight at her, his expression unreadable.  
  
Ginny stood above him, her face pale, and stuck out her hand. He took it and she helped him to his feet. The motion brought them close together, their faces only inches apart. She reached out and softly touched the cut on his cheek, where the blood had already dried.  
  
What happened? she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. He didn't answer, just brushed her hand with his own fingertips. Pleasure shot through him as she shivered slightly at the contact.  
  
Then, just like in the classroom, he couldn't restrain himself. He pulled her close, savoring her quiet gasp of surprise, the warmth of her body, the torment he could see growing in her eyes as he held back for one more moment, refusing to give her what he knew she hungered for so badly.  
  
Then he touched his mouth to hers, forgetting that this was exactly what the Death Eaters wanted. After all, he wanted it, too.  
  
Not such a bad day, after all.  
  
=============  
  
A/N  
  
First of all, my apologies for taking so long on this chapter: I had quite a hard time with it and ended up rewriting massive parts of it many times!! Hope it was worth the wait. I know some bits of it are a bit, well, trashy romance novel style, and for that I also beg forgiveness. Pretty please forgive?? ;)   
  
Got to thank those marvelous folk known as reviewers, of course!!!  
  
-Arwen Luinel: Eh, yes, they did get a bit close, didn't they!! ::grins sheepishly:: Hope you don't mind and sorry it took me so long! Thanks for reviewing, it means so much to me!! PS Checked out the first chapter or so of your LOTR story, I really like it, can't wait to read more of it!!   
  
-Klee Summers: Not as soon as it should of, I suppose! It was even worse the first couple times I wrote it though! ;) All my gratitude for your kind encouragement!!  
  
-Amour-Lily: Draco and Ginny are having fun in your story, too!! ::giggles:: You update so much, you rock! I vote that you stop wasting time reading other people's stories and just write yours all day, k? :) Joking, joking! Whatever would I do without your cheerful and heartening reviews?? Become discouraged and never update, probably!! May you never encounter writer's block and may your computer never crash!! ::smiles and wipes away a tear::  
  
-Amanda Mancini: Yay!! Thank you for somehow running into my story and reviewing!! ::grins:: You're right, the paragraphing on the first chapter was atrocious! I went and fixed it just for you! Thank you again!!  
  
Brave soul, now that you have survived an amateur writer's sappy romance scenes and battled your way through a monstrously long Author's Note, make a pathetic little girl very happy and...........  
  
REVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEW!!!! Please? :)   
  
See you later, have a nice day!!  
  
-Scarlett  
  
PS   
  
DISCLAIMER  
  
To quote someone very funny whose story I read on Fiction Ally Park, but whose name I don't remember: I diss all claims, and I claim all disses. 


	5. Chrysalis

**ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT  
  
**Chapter 5- Chrysalis

Ronald Weasley was, to put it mildly, worried. The Quidditch season was starting in less than a week, and Gryffindor was ready to be slaughtered. From his completely undisturbed vantage point by the goal hoops, it was painfully obvious. Painfully, disgustingly obvious.  
  
THAT'S IT! he shrieked, his always short temper pushed right past the breaking point as Denis fumbled with the Quaffle, lobbing it clumsily at Natalie, who dropped it. TEAM! LAND! NOW! One by one, they obeyed, each staring at the ground in varying states of shame as their enraged Captain glared at them like an angry bull. WHAT THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING OUT THERE? He pivoted on Natalie. NOTHING! THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE DOING! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! She flushed and dropped her eyes. Next to her, Denis shook slightly. YOU THREE HAVEN'T MANAGED TO COME WITHIN TEN FEET OF THE GOAL POSTS IN THE PAST HALF HOUR! YOU HAVEN'T MADE A SINGLE SUCCESSFUL PASS! YOU HAVEN'T EVEN LOOKED EACH OTHER IN THE EYE, FOR GOD'S SAKE!  
  
said Harry, trying to placate him. Ron, just calm down for a....  
  
Calm down?! CALM DOWN?! Ron looked as though he was restraining himself from committing murder. The color of his face was downright alarming. Do we have a match with Slytherin in three days or not? Do you six care about winning that goddamn match or NOT?! Harry subsided, staring intently at the brown and dying grass of the pitch with all the rest of his teammates. All, that is, except for one.  
  
Ron turned slowly around and regarded his sister with a death glare. She stared coolly back at him, one corner of her mouth twitching slightly.  
  
said Ron, with such iron control in his voice that Natalie and Denis were too frightened to even tremble. Is this somehow funny to you? You, who weren't even paying _attention_ to what your teammates were doing? You, who didn't notice when....  
  
  
Ron became very still.  
  
he asked, all his rage boiled down into that one quiet word.  
  
she repeated. I find it hilarious. You, she said, mocking him with icy precision, Who didn't block a single pass for ten straight games last year. You, who wouldn't know Quidditch strategy if it hit you in the face. You, who wouldn't even _be _Captain if Harry hadn't turned it down first. _You're_ lecturing us on how to practice? At the look of shock on his face, she laughed, a cutting sound. It fell flat in the dead silence that surrounded them. God, you're so pathetic, it's a wonder the rest of the team isn't laughing with me. She peered appraisingly at him again. You look like a cow when you do that, Ron. Just so you know. She spun sharply on her heel and walked away.  
  
===============  
  
The moment she was out of sight of the team, Ginny began to run, her feet pounding furiously on the cobblestones, her breath coming in sharp jerks as she dashed up towards the school.  
  
_He doesn't understand, _she thought wildly. _God. No one understands any more. The stupid bastard.  
_  
Completely winded, Ginny leaned against a tree and slid slowly to the ground, staring out at the lake. _Just look at me,_ she thought bitterly. _Right back where I started. Pathetic. Even _I_ think I'm pathetic. No wonder Draco.... _But she stopped that line of thought firmly in its tracks._  
_  
She didn't want to hurt her brother. Not really. But when he was so stupid, so clueless, he was just asking for it, really. He didn't care about her anyway. Why should she care about him? He never noticed her until she did something wrong. He never bothered to notice when something _was _wrong. Ginny's mask of ice and burning rage melted, and her face crumpled. Angry tears overflowed in her eyes, spilling on to her cheeks and scalding there like fire._  
  
_In the intervening days since Halloween, nothing had gotten any better. Despite the perfectly logical theory that her depression had been due merely to the four year anniversary, it hadn't just melted away after the day was passed. On the contrary, it seemed to be getting worse. And as for the flashbacks... Ginny shuddered. Now she was barely getting through the hour without one, let alone the day. In fact, the only time she hadn't had one in the past week was when she was with... Draco.  
  
The memory filled her, mind and body, stilling her tears. The brush of his lips against hers, sending heat all through her, throbbing and desperate as she pressed herself into him and snaked her arms around his neck. _Slut_, whispered a quiet voice in her head. But she didn't care. All that mattered was that they didn't stop, they didn't ever stop. His hands burned her even through her robes. But then he had.... _No._ _Don't think about it._  
  
It didn't make any sense, really. Being around Harry never felt like this, not even when she was crazy about him. It felt... safe, simple, even innocent. But there was something inherently _wrong _with touching Draco. It wasn't suppose to happen. It wasn't the way things were suppose to be. It felt sick, and wrong, and guilty and that's just what made it so sweet. Fire burns when you get too close, but what's the real difference between pain and pleasure to begin with? There's a knife edge and one side is agony, but the other is ecstasy. One side is hate and the other is love. One side is night and the other is day.  
  
But now she was always in twilight.  
  
Ginny buried her head in her arms and wanted to start crying again. But somehow, she couldn't.  
  
=================  
  
He hadn't meant to run away from her. In fact, if he'd had his way, they might have stayed out there all night. But then she pulled away, just slightly, just for a moment, and looked at him.  
  
It was completely dark, except for the scant light of the moon, and her half-lidded eyes were dilated to an inky black that overwhelmed the normal warm brown. In that moment, under the suddenly icy regard of those eyes, Draco felt... disturbed. As a Death Eater's son and someone who had seen more Dark spells worked than he could count, Draco had considered himself just about beyond disturbing.  
  
The shadows he saw in Ginny Weasley's eyes proved him very, very wrong.  
  
He stifled the shiver that rose involuntarily within him and pulled slowly away from her. But it was gone without a trace, a cloud passing over the moon. Her eyes were filled only with hurt as he pushed her away.  
  
she whispered.  
  
But he didn't answer. Ignoring the ache that her presence always seemed to spark in him somehow, he backed up farther and farther, sliding away into the forest, his eyes locked on hers as the murky darkness swallowed him up.  
  
Goddamn you, Draco, she hissed after him, though he didn't know if she thought he was gone or not. What are you trying to do to me?  
  
In his mind, he echoed the question back at her. But he didn't say anything aloud, oh no. A good spy knows how to keep his mouth shut. A good Death Eater knows not to talk back.  
  
A good Malfoy knows not to care.  
  
================  
  
Ginny took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and marched into the open portrait hole, only a few seconds behind the chattering crew of after-dinner Gryffindors. Rather, that was what she fully intended to do. In reality, she loitered uncertainly for a moment, staring uneasily over the heads of her housemates.  
  
_Lord, this is ridiculous! What am I scared of? They're my family, for Pete's sake! My friends! They'll forgive me. There's nothing to be scared of from them. _If two weeks ago someone had told her that she would be afraid to face the Trio, but would be perfectly comfortable making out with _Draco Malfoy _on the edge of the Forbidden Forest... well, honestly, it was completely insane! _Stop stalling, Ginevra Weasley. Get in there and beg for forgiveness!  
  
_She composed herself mentally, which had the unfortunate side effect of making her face look very cold. Slytherin cold.  
  
The first person she met as she entered the common room was Harry and when she saw his face, she had an uneasy feeling that her fears might not be so baseless, after all.  
  
I see you've come back, he spat at her. Feel the need to ruin someone else's life, do you? Ginny stared at him, frozen with shock.  
  
Ruined... ruined his... what are you......?  
  
Oh sure, Ginny. Play innocent. You knew _exactly _what you were doing when you said those things to him. He is your _brother_, after all. He threw the word like a dagger. You knew exactly what would hurt him the worst, and you said it. You said it and you didn't even care. He was on the verge of shouting now. He took a deep breath in, restraining his rage with an iron self-control that was almost more frightening than the anger itself. God, Ginny. We've tried to make allowances. We know you've suffered, but you're not the only one who matters. _You've gone too damn far this time_, he hissed.  
  
Ginny felt all her guilt and repentance washing away, drowned by harsh realization. They didn't care, after all. How could she have been so stupid as to think they ever had.  
  
You hypocrite! she whispered, bitterly incredulous. You bloody hypocrite! I've never thought it was all about me, oh so high and mighty Harry Potter! No, nothing is EVER about me. Ever. Even after the Chamber, after the hell I went through, did anyone care? NO! It was all about you, and your bloody heroics, and your _bravery_. You didn't even do it for me! You did it for your own conceited EGO! And as for Ron, she added bitingly, the pain in her heart making her lash out at him like wounded animal. You've hurt him more than I ever could, more times than I can count.  
  
Harry glared coldly back at her, completely untouched by her rant.  
  
Not like this, he told her, with that same frightening control. Then he turned and walked slowly up the stairs to the boys' dormitory, not even looking back at her.  
  
She was turning to storm back out of the common room when a soft voice behind her made her stop.  
  
Her heart rose for one infinitesimal second when she heard the older girl's voice behind her. Surely, _surely _Hermione would understand, wouldn't she? Ginny turned slowly and her heart sank again. Hermione's eyes were red with sobbing, and tears were running down her face, but her voice was quite steady. If he ever even looks at you again, it's more than you deserve.  
  
Ginny ran from the room and slammed the door behind her.  
  
=============  
  
_What have I done_? she thought wildly as she ran. _What the hell have I done now? _She didn't know where she was going. The corridors were all blurred together in her mind. When she came to another corridor, she picked one way blindly and dashed on, the thoughts in her head racing as franticly as her breath.  
  
The worst part was, she knew she was right. As cruel, as heartless, as savage as the things she had said to her brother were, she hadn't lied. Not once. All she'd done was tell the truth, and they hated her for it. _What kind of friendship is that, anyway? You don't mention what hurts? Ron thought the same things about himself, but he never told Harry, never told anyone. Just let it fester and writhe and spread, till one day, there'd be nothing in his mind _but _that, tormenting him._  
  
And suddenly, it was clear. _They keep it quiet, they never talk about it, too scared it'll hurt and, instead of going away, it _grows. _You know it's there, and so do they, but they think if they just ignore the darkness, and do nothing about it, it's like it never happened.  
  
_She thought back over the years she'd spent at Hogwarts. Whenever had they mentioned it? Whenever had they asked what it had done to her? Never. Not once. Last year, in a fit of anger at Harry's self-absorbed sulking, Ginny had reminded him that _she _was the only one of them who knew what it was like to be possessed by You-Know-Who. He told her he'd forgotten. _Forgotten_. For them it was nothing, an old adventure, a neglected memory. For her, it was an everlasting nightmare.  
  
Then she felt it. The dizzy spiral into the shadows, the unending blind fall, triggered by her anger and pain. Tom's voice speaking, caressing her, warming her like a fire. A fire that melts and scorches and molds.....  
  
_You're blacking out_, she told herself with deceptive calmness. _You're going to hit your head on the stones and no one's going to find you for hours. You're going to die here. _She saw herself, like she was floating outside of her own body, saw a pale ghost of a girl, staggering, her eyes closed. She almost fell as she leaned against a tapestry and stumbled... into an abandoned classroom. The world spun hard and she grasped desperately at a desk, clinging to it like a drowning man to driftwood.  
  
Now what have we here? asked an amused voice above her. A voice that haunted her dreams almost as much as _his_. Ginny's last conscious thought was that fainting in front of a murdering Death Eater was probably not her best course of action. But there was nothing she could do about it now. She was plunged headlong into the blackness where _he_ was waiting for her, all ink and blood and tears and, in her mind, she sobbed as she fell.  
  
=================  
  
He hated Herbology. Downright despised it with a rage that he usually reserved for Potter, Mudbloods, and his father. It didn't really have anything to do with magic. They never used their wands or uttered a single spell. They just potted and pruned and repotted. As long as you had a list of potion ingredients and a good apothecary, who needed to grub around in the dirt learning about bloody plants, anyway?  
  
Draco glared down at the essay question he was supposed to be answering. It seemed extremely unfair that, despite everything going on in the _real _world, teachers still expected them to care about schoolwork. A grim smile crossed his face. At least academic success wasn't a requirement for joining the Dark Lord. Merlin knew what Flint and Montague would have done, otherwise. He sighed and pushed his parchment away, tipping back the legs of his chair and leaning against the table, absently making sure that crazy vulture of a librarian wasn't watching him.  
  
He caught a glimpse of crimson as someone ran by the open library door. Weasley. His thoughts had been hovering around the redheaded girl all day. He'd been doubtful of her at first. It wouldn't be the first time a goody-goody little Ravenclaw or Gryffindor had messed around with him, trying to rebel, then run off, frightened by what they'd gotten themselves into. A little revenge on her brother, a few days of freedom from her stifling morals, and she'd be scampering back to her little lionhearted friends, wouldn't she?  
  
But she hadn't. Not yet, anyway. And the more he thought about it, the more convinced he was: this wasn't just some fun little game on her part. The fierce look of joy on her face after their first encounter, so rudely interrupted by Finnigan. Her words after he kissed her: _If that's evil...._ Add to that her rather vicious outburst at her brother (news of which had spread from House to House like wildfire) and the strange look in her eyes that night in the forest, and you had a Weasley unlike any other. The only problem was, she couldn't accept it. That was understandable, of course. How would he feel if he'd suddenly started acting like a Gryffindor? Draco shuddered a little at the mere thought. Still, her true tendencies were coming a little more into the light with each passing day. You could see it from her pale, tormented face, and from the looks her classmates gave her as they walked by. Stupid little buggers could feel something different about her, even as she tried to reject it. You can't escape your own heart, no matter how hard you try not to see it.  
  
The memory of his meeting with Bellatrix flooded into his mind. _Make me proud_. He lifted a hand to his cheek and ran his thumb along the thin cut, hardly healed in the intervening days.  
  
He'd just have to convince her.  
  
============  
  
_That's odd_, thought Ginny muzzily, staring at the dark stone walls that surrounded her. _I always thought Heaven would look a bit more... heavenly. _She thought again for a moment. _Unless I'm in hell. _The thought was so alarming that she sat up hastily. This proved to be a mistake, as she realized when she almost threw up. She lay back down again, trying to figure out what was going on. Blinking a little, Ginny slowly registered that she was in an abandoned classroom. Then, it all flooded back.  
  
She glanced around wildly, expecting Bellatrix to leap out from a dark corner and attack her. But the classroom remained just as empty as before. The only sound to disturb the dust-laden air was her own harsh breathing. Ginny slumped back against the legs of the nearest desk, her heart pounding wildly with relief.  
  
_Why am I alive? _she thought wonderingly. The fall to the stone floor, if nothing else, should have injured her badly. Yet here she was, practically unhurt. And once she'd blacked out, why hadn't the Death Eater tried to kill her? Or at least waited until she woke up, so that she could cast a memory charm on her? Unless... Ginny froze with shock. Unless the woman had stopped her fall? Saved her life?  
  
That didn't make any sense at all. The Death Eater knew perfectly well who Ginny was; at the Department of Mysteries, Bellatrix had threatened to torture her to death if Harry didn't give them the prophecy. But now... she'd spared her? She'd _saved _her? No. Impossible. But what other explanation was there? And what was the Death Eater doing in Hogwarts anyway? How had she managed to get in? Ginny's head spun more than ever.  
  
Still, she wasn't getting anywhere by just sitting in this classroom. Stumbling to her feet, Ginny clutched at the desk again for support, then carefully drew out her wand. Threading her way unsteadily through the rows of desks, she finally reached the door and stuck her head cautiously out. An unfamiliar, empty corridor met her gaze. Easing the door shut behind her, Ginny set off down the hall, confused and lightheaded, yet oddly... exhilarated.  
  
It took her nearly twenty minutes to find her way back to Gryffindor Tower, but she didn't see a single person along the way. She wondered nervously if it was after curfew; the last thing she wanted today was to get a detention from Filch. When she finally reached the Fat Lady and gave the password (pretending not to notice the stern look of disapproval on the portrait's face), the common room was all but deserted. She heaved a sigh of relief. They were all at dinner, then.  
  
She froze. Not _all _of them. Turning slowly toward the chairs in front of the crackling fire, she found herself face to face with her brother.  
  
I'm sorry. She stared at him, shocked.  
  
  
  
I'm... I'm sorry. Ron took a deep breath. I mean, I thought about it, and I reckon that you wouldn't have said... here his voice cracked slightly, ...wouldn't have said all those things if I hadn't done something that really, you know, pissed you off, and well, I guess.... He trailed off, staring very fixedly into the fire, pointedly not looking at her. Because, you know, it's always sort of been you and me. Fred and George, right, they always had each other, and Bill and Charlie, well, they were like best friends. Never really bothered with us younger ones. And Percy, course, he was just on his own. And then it was you and me, sort of, you know, stuck at the bottom like, and....  
  
Ginny could see him struggling for the words, fighting himself in a way she'd never seen before. She knelt next to his chair and slid an arm around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder. He leaned his head against hers, red hair mingling, indistinguishable in the dim firelight.  
  
You're my brother, she whispered. I love you. But he was wrong. It hadn't been the two of them together, not for years. Not since he went to school and left her fighting tears of her own on Platform 9 3/4. Not since he'd met Harry and Hermione and become someone else entirely. Ever since that year, he'd gone places and done things she could never dream of. But now... now she was the one who had gone, gone somewhere where he could never follow, never dream of, never know.  
  
_He's my brother_, she repeated to herself. _I love him. But I'm not going to apologize. Not for telling him the truth. Not for doing what's right.  
  
_===============  
  
Having finally finished his ridiculous Herbology essay, Draco went down to the Great Hall to see if there was any food left, or if Crabbe and Goyle had eaten it all. It had happened before. When he arrived at the Slytherin Table, it was almost empty except for a few scrawny first years and his dorm mate Blaise, who greeted him with a scowl.  
  
See if I get your mail for you next time, if you're not going to bother to come and eat. The slim, dark boy threw him a letter and swung himself up from the table. Why're you getting mail this late anyway? He ignored him and Blaise left, but he threw a calculating over his shoulder at Draco as he went. Absorbed in reading his letter, Draco didn't notice. In comparison to the first correspondence from his aunt, this one was downright verbose.  
  
_You're ahead of schedule. Meet me again tonight. Bring your little girlfriend with you, she seems delightful.  
  
_Carefully hiding his surprise at Bellatrix's unexpected knowledge, Draco glanced quickly over at the Gryffindor table. She wasn't there. Neither was the Weasel. He sucked in his breath. Had he read her wrong? Was she running away after all? He tried to block the fear that she might cause him to fail his duty to the Death Eaters, because of her idiotic Gryffindor morals. The inexplicable anger he felt at the thought that she might leave him was harder to ignore.  
  
===========  
  
Safe in her hiding place, Bellatrix's eyes snapped open.  
  
she whispered, her cold eyes dancing with wild mirth. Isn't _that _interesting?  
  
==========  
  
A/N  
Hello, me pretties!! Much apologizing for the lateness of this chapter: blame it on school (sooooo many hard classes!) and my uncanny ability to write myself into big, inescapable pits from which there is no escape! Anyway, hope you enjoyed it and that it wasn't too out of character or implausible, or anything like that! Questions? Comments? Complaints? Anything I've screwed up royally? REVIEW! PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE!!! Or send me an email! Or both! YAY FOR REVIEWERS!!!  
  
-**BubblyFizz03**- Thank you SOOOO much for all your reviews! Any joy my humble fic may have given you, your enthusiastic feedback repaid tenfold! I finished this chapter as fast as I could so you'd be a happy bunny.... please be a happy bunny??? :) Thanks again! By the way, I read what you have up of Bittersweet and I LOVED it! So spectacular! More more more!! It's saved on my computer, which only happens to my FAVORITE fics! ;)  
  
-**Kerichi**- Many thanks for your precious feedback and support! You were totally right about my thing with ... in particular I noticed one spot where I said Erm, Herm. I almost died when I saw THAT! I don't think there was any erm-ing in this chapter.... Anyway, I read Simply Irresistible and was very impressed, especially with your OC....I put it all in my review. Eternal gratitude to you, oh most excellent author/reviewer!  
  
-**Arwen Luinel**- As always, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! I just don't know what else to say: maybe just... you rock!! ::wipes away tear::  
  
-ALSO!!! **FemmeDraconis **(wonderfullus is a great word! ::grins::), **Rednight-rider **(Ooo! He IS playing James Bond, isn't he? heh heh heh), and **kittybro **(geez, be a little more demanding, won't you? ::winks:: Just teasing!!)  
  
Hugs, kisses, and a chocolate Draco to each and every one of you! I love you eternally! Have a great day!  
-Scarlett  
  
Hermione was looking at him curiously.  
Did you just say, 'Either the fish goes, or Thursday morning'?"  
"Possibly," Draco admitted. "I didn't know you spoke French."  
  
- The Draco Trilogy by Cassandra Claire (Draco Dormiens, Draco Sinister, Draco Veritas). Haven't read them? YOU SHOULD!!! Look on Schnoogle!!  
  
_  
  
_


	6. We All Fall Down

**ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT  
**  
Chapter Six- We All Fall Down**  
**

It wasn't all that hard of a spell, really. Draco had been practicing it in secret for several months now and knew that all you really needed was a decent amount of power and the strength of will. It wasn't as powerful as the Imperious Curse, of course, but it was a good deal more subtle. And you got less time in Azkaban for it. This last thought gave him a slight pause, but then, who was he to disobey his aunt? Tonight she said and tonight it would have to be. A slight smile passed across his face. Besides, this was going to be... interesting.  
  
He drew his wand out from his robes and casually slid it under the table, glancing nonchalantly around to make sure no one was watching him and then turning himself so that the teachers at the front of the Hall couldn't see him. No sense in doing Dark magic without taking proper precautions. His father had always taught him the value of secrecy and subterfuge in a world where friends and foes were equally dangerous to your position in the long run. Look at his parents, for example. One could never be too careful.  
  
He pointed his wand to the corridor where the Gryffindors always came down from in the morning and fixed her image firmly in his mind. The crimson hair, the sharp eyes, the way her face would freeze when her classmates walked by her whispering, the tight line her lips made when her brother and his friends walked away, leaving her alone in a crowd of chattering people, the way those bright eyes would flash when she saw him, half in anger and half in....  
  
he hissed, almost under his breath, drawing his wand in a smooth semicircle under the table, and then jerking it sharply toward himself.  
  
Up in the Gryffindor common room, Ginny Weasley's head snapped upward in shock. The sudden movement dislodged her brother's arm from around her shoulders, and resulted in them banging heads quite painfully.  
  
Ow! What's up, Gin? Ron asked, rubbing his skull in an injured fashion.  
  
Noth.. nothing, she stammered, distracted. Something was pulling at her, tugging at her urgently, calling her almost.... Confused, but angry, Ginny resisted the tempting demand, clenching her hands so tightly that her knuckles whitened and her fingernails were biting into the flesh of her palm. Something... someone... was trying to control her. She could feel it, feel the desire to obey like it was her own. But it wasn't. No. Never again.  
  
She became aware of her brother looking at her oddly, as she shook slightly with the struggle within her. Taking a deep breath, she pointedly released the death grip she had on her muscles, relaxing her hands and trying not to wince as blood and pain together rushed back into her veins.  
  
Sorry, Ron, she said, modulating her voice carefully and standing up, painfully aware of her every jerky movement. It's just been a really awful day. I think I'm going to go down to the Hall and see if there's any dinner left. D'you mind? He looked at her uncertainly for a moment out of the corner of his eye.  
  
Um, sure Gin. Whatever you like. His cheerfulness sounded markedly false. And, uh....  
  
she asked, turning at the door to face him again.  
  
I... I'll see you down there, he finished in a rush. But Ginny was quite sure that was not what he had meant to say at all. She swung the door open and slid out into the hall, feeling his eyes on her back as she shut it again with a snap.  
  
Leaning against the cold stone of the wall, she let out a sigh of relief for having escaped without raising suspicion. Then she began to walk with pointed slowness down the corridor to the Hall. Inwardly, she raged at her own helplessness, but the tide pulled at her ever more seductively, and she found that she couldn't fight it for a second longer.  
  
ooooooooooooooooo  
  
He saw her the moment she entered the Hall, and was unsurprised when her eyes immediately locked with his. What he saw there was what shocked him. Anger, at least, would have made sense, considering the way he'd abandoned her on Halloween. The haunting fear that he saw in her face, however, was a completely unexpected reaction from the unfalteringly reckless Gryffindor. Masking his confusion with icy indifference, he flicked his gaze swiftly to the door leading out into the entrance hall, then back to her. She nodded almost imperceptibly to show she understood, then pointedly turned her back on him. Repressing the urge to fume at her rudeness, (secrecy was important, after all. Wasn't it?) Draco slid his wand and the parchment from Bellatrix into the pocket of his robes and then strode quite confidently out of the Great Hall, contradictory to the tension that was filling him. He had no doubt that Ginny would know where he had gone. Whether she would meet him there was another question entirely.  
  
He scowled slightly as he walked down the steps into the freezing courtyard and beyond. What was he thinking? Since when did Draco Malfoy wait for girls to meet _him_? Bloody Weasley.  
  
And yet, less than an hour later he was standing face to face with her under the same tree on the edge of the forest as before. She met his eyes with a look so unreadable, it belonged in the Department of Mysteries.  
  
Next time, she said softly, without preamble. Just ask.  
  
I needed you, he retorted, equally short. I didn't want to wait.  
  
That's funny. Her eyes glittered like ice at him, all traces of her earlier trepidation fled or hidden, but her voice was even colder. You didn't seem to need me at all on Halloween, did you? Or before that, for that matter. In fact, I don't know what sort of game you've been playing with me, _Draco_, but I'm done with it. With you. All of the hunger for him, all of the strange pity in her heart, had melted when she came into the Hall and met his uncaring eyes. _He was controlling her_. Why had she ever deluded herself into thinking that Draco was any different than _him_? Evil was evil, no matter how... tempting.  
  
But Malfoy was quite untouched by her dramatic proclamation. In fact, if anything, he looked almost amused.  
  
And what, he inquired, Makes you think that I am done with _you_?  
  
He has a point you know, girl, said a calm voice from behind her. Ginny whirled around, shock showing openly on her face. Bellatrix calmly met her wide eyes with a cool stare. Then a flash of malice lit up her features. Oh, did you think he was interested in you for your looks, little girl? Did you think he_ loved_ you? Her thin lips twisted in a sneer. Why, how sweetly deluded you can be, little girl. Very romantic, I'm sure. Ginny masked her fear and smirked back at the Death Eater.  
  
Have you ever met our Potions master, Ms. Lestrange? I think you two would get on smashingly, really. We ought to arrange a date. Without warning, Bellatrix lashed out, grabbing her by the throat and pushing her smoothly against a tree. She leaned in closely, her lips almost touching Ginny's face.  
  
Never provoke those who have more power than yourself, Miss Weasley, Bellatrix whispered, the serene tone of her voice greatly at odds with the maniacal glint in her dark eyes. She released the pressure on the younger girl's throat abruptly, causing Ginny to slide down the tree and land in a heap at her feet.  
  
said the Death Eater pleasantly. Where was I, Draco, before I was so rudely interrupted?  
  
Delusions, Bellatrix, he answered quietly, his eyes fixed firmly on ground.  
  
Ah, yes. She smiled. You, Miss Weasley, have a great many delusions. One is that the dear little dragon boy here felt something for you. Her gaze pierced into Ginny's skull, pinning her in place like a bug under a needle. I certainly hope I have managed to disabuse you of that notion. But no matter. That you would have figured out for yourself, in the end, I suppose. However, there are more important things at hand. Here she paused. Yes, girl? Did you wish to say something?  
  
Ginny felt her hands shaking, so she locked them firmly behind her back. Why am I here? What do you want with me? Because, whatever it is, it's not going to work. Brave words, she knew, but nothing more than false bravado, all the same. Bellatrix knew it, too. The little smile on her face gave it away. And Draco? She couldn't guess what he knew. He hadn't met her eyes since the interview began.  
  
What a ridiculous statement. If I want you to do something, you'll do it. You haven't got a choice in that respect, and if you think that I'll hesitate to use you in whatever fashion I please just because you told me not to, than you're more foolish than I thought.  
  
Ginny blinked. Never in a thousand years would she have expected a Death Eater to state matters so plainly. Sinisterly veiled threats were what she was prepared for, not this blatant statement of facts.  
  
Luckily for you, continued Bellatrix, I have very little interest in you at all, little girl. On the contrary, I am merely going to inform you of a few more of your silly, childish delusions, just for my own amusement. Little liars like yourself are so incapable of accepting the truth, you see. It's no more than my humble duty to send a spark of truth into your darkened life.  
  
Ginny's contempt got the better of her common sense. Send a little spark of your evil into innocent lives, you mean, she spat.  
  
Bellatrix raised her eyebrows. If you think your own life is innocent, girl, than your delusions run far deeper than I suspected. There was enough truth in this to make Ginny flush and fall silent. And evil, little girl, is such a misused word. You think my work is evil, yes? Ginny remained still, her gaze fixed on the tree roots at her feet. This was all far too strange. Death Eaters didn't justify their beliefs to 5th year Gryffindors in the middle of the night. Something was altogether wrong about this, but she was tired, so tired. She couldn't deal with this right now. She couldn't deal with this at all. But Bellatrix just kept talking, her voice twisting its way into Ginny's mind, so softly.  
  
Do you know anything of Mudblood history, little girl? No? Well, let me tell you. They have many great achievements, these _Muggles_. Maybe you think they're just sweet, harmless, lovable fools, with no real power. But, little girl, that's is just what they seem. Probe a little deeper under the surface and you find terrible things. Deeds more horrific than any ever accomplished by magic. The least of their wars in the past two hundred years killed more of them than our last three wars _combined_. They slaughter each other over land, over grudges from thousands of years ago, over people who probably never existed, and never will exist! Their basic nature is not toward peace, no matter how they try to disguise it. They're flawed, somewhere deep within. They pretend to be kind and decent and noble, but inside they're never truly happy until there is conflict, until there is death. And their appetite is insatiable. No matter the amount of horror come before, they cannot quench their thirst for it. Ah, you try to deny it, you shake your head at me. _But how do you know_? Have you ever met a Muggle, little girl? Have you ever looked into their eyes and seen the fear and hatred there? That's the difference, you see. To them, to not understand is to fear, and to fear is to hate, and to hate is to kill. Do you think they have changed since they tried to slaughter us in the Hunts? Do you think they have learned? No. They're just as stupid, just as malicious as ever. Why? Because no one has taught them. No one has shown them the error in their ways. They cannot be taught with patience and love. The only the language they understand is fear and hate. You must fight fire with fire! And as for those who have ourpowers, the filthy Mudbloods, why, they are more dangerous than all the others. The fatal flaws of Muggles, mixed with our powers, can only end in disaster. What if they betray our world and turn their loyalties to Muggles in the end? With our powers and their bestial tendencies, they would be unstoppable, don't you see? She paused, took a breath. And yet, there are those who can't see it. Those, like yourself, little girl, who are too blind to see the danger we're in! Those who fight us for their own glory and honor, and yet are blind to the real cause which so many of us have died for. It's their lives we are fighting to protect, but not even they can be allowed to come between us and our goal. We must protect our world, and we must save our own way of life. In the end, that is all that can matter to us. That is all we _can_ care about. Not honor. Not glory. Not playing the hero. Just... life. Life and the future.  
  
Bellatrix stopped, her eyes fixed on the upright figure of the red headed girl before her. Silence grew around the three still figures, broken by the whisper of cold wind through the trees. A cloud passed over the moon, leaving the forest in brief darkness. Ginny shivered and wrapped her arms tightly around her body.  
  
Poor little girl, whispered Bellatrix softly, her voice no louder than the wind. Have I scared you? Well, the truth is a frightening thing when you've been hearing happy little lies your whole life. But it's the truth nevertheless. I know what I'm fighting for, little girl. Can you say the same?  
  
Ginny shivered again.  
  
I thought you were strong, Ginny, said Draco unexpectedly. She refused to meet his gaze. I see I was wrong, he finished coldly. After a moment, Bellatrix turned and strode further into the darkness of the forest. He followed behind her, leaving Ginny standing alone in the shadows.  
  
ooooooooooooo  
  
Do you really think that worked? whispered Draco to Bellatrix, once they were out of earshot from Ginny. I'm mean, she's been raised as one of them her whole life. Do you think that one speech....  
  
Are you second guessing me, boy? asked Bellatrix icily, not even glancing at him as he laboured to keep up with her brisk pace through the trees, despite his long legs.  
  
He didn't answer.  
  
she said. You must understand, one does not have to be as great as the Dark Lord to learn from his wisdom. He is the greatest Master of the Mind to grace our world since Salazar himself, and I have been learning the Art from him for many more years than you have lived. Her mind is torn now, weak, uncertain. It's a crucial juncture, this period. It is when she will be shaped again, for good this time. But it is up to us to insure that she is put back on the right path, while there is still time.  
  
I don't understand, he retorted, speaking up against his better judgment. She's just a girl, you said so yourself. Why all the fuss about her? Why bother to put her on the right path in the first place? She's just one person.  
  
Bellatrix stopped her swift walk and looked him squarely in the eye, impatience adding an acid bite to her voice.  
  
You never fail to prove your foolishness, Draco. Did you truly believe it was merely a coincidence that your father chose to make her the one through which the Dark Lord was to return? Of course not. He also was far too foolish. It was _I_ who found her, not a month before I was put in Azkaban. She wasn't even a week old. Bellatrix smiled, as though visited by a fond memory. But even then, it was all there, hidden in her mind. The desire for power, the drive, the ambition. She stopped and her face twisted angrily. But it all became warped, growing up in that hovel with her rabble of a family. Warped by their sick blindness, and their stupid hero worship of Dumbledore and Potter. It turned into a drive to please others, to do what _they_ thought was right, instead of what was truly in her heart. She never had a chance to think for herself. But now... Bellatrix gave a little smile. Now is finally the chance to set it all right. Which, I suppose, I do have you to thank for, at least a little. Although you really could have done much better. She sighed. Still, you gave us the first opening, and that's all that really matters.  
  
Draco was, if anything, more confused than before. But what do you mean, you found her? Why were you looking? How is _she _different from any of her stupid little classmates?  
  
Bellatrix sneered at him. Don't tell me you haven't noticed.  
  
Noticed _what_?  
  
Her gifts, for Merlin's sake! She's practically a stereotypical Slytherin, of course. Her determination, her cleverness, her willingness to disregard the rules to get what she wants. But it goes so far beyond that. She has a power, a power of insight, of seeing and _understanding_, that is like nothing the Dark Lord or myself have ever seen before. She has such a power of empathy, that she could, if she wished, take utter control of a person, mind and body, without even raising her wand. They would bow willingly before her. But it's been suppressed, buried, wasted. Until she was touched by the Dark Lord, it could hardly be seen at all. But even that brief contact opened the way. As she was being controlled, she was also learning, though she wasn't even aware of it. Now her potential is at its peak, torn as she is. She might even exert it by mistake, in a blind attempt to control _something_ in her life. I would beware, if I were you. From what I've seen of the two of you, you're already half under her power as it is.  
  
I'm nothing of the sort! It's just... Draco retorted furiously. She just understood him, that's all. Understood him like no one ever... He trailed off uncertainly. Bellatrix smiled.  
  
As for finding' her: to a Legilimens trained by one as great as the Dark Lord, her mind stood out like a star in the midst of candle flames. I passed by her house one night on a mission, and I felt her presence without ever seeing her. I knew that she was meant to fight for us, and I've waited too many years to let her slip through my hands now.  
  
Having obviously wasted all the time she cared to on him and his stupid questions, Bellatrix turned and walked off the path farther into the icy darkness, leaving Draco alone with his thoughts. She did not call to him and he did not follow.  
  
oooooooooooooooooo  
  
It shouldn't have even been something she was considering. When she came out here, she was prepared to face down any ploy, no matter how cunning. She was strong and resolute. She had finally found the right choice, and she had made it. Nothing was going to stand in her way.  
  
Except, perhaps, the truth.  
  
What _had _stopped the witch hunts? Ginny tried to remember. Had the Muggles seen the error of their ways and stopped the killings? A chill passed over her that had nothing to do with the cold that made her breath fog up in front of her. No. No. The hunts stopped only when the witches and wizards had gone into hiding, scared for their lives. Oh, everyone went on about how the Muggles had failed to ever murder a real witch, but it wasn't through a lack of hate or effort. So, for all their brave words, an entire world went into hiding... and never emerged.  
  
_And how would Muggles react these days if we did come out of hiding? _she wondered. _Would they welcome us with open arms, or would they declare us dangerous and try to kill us all? Would their fascination with our powers overcome their fear of the unknown?  
  
_Deep in her heart, Ginny knew the answer, and it scared her. Scared her worse than anything, because if Bellatrix was right about that... what else was she right about? Just where was the line between defending yourself from a perceived attack, and murdering someone in cold blood? If you were capable of one... were you capable of the other?  
  
She remembered, almost against her will, the feeling of Draco's arms around her, the feeling of rightness and safety when he touched her. Could that be faked? After all, he had put a Summoning spell on her. That was Dark magic, plain and simple. But what if he thought he was doing it for her own good? If he wanted her to know the truth so badly that he no longer cared if she hated him or not? Or had he never cared in the first place?  
  
She just didn't know. All the clarity she had gained had been stolen, and she was filled with doubt and fear.  
  
_Is this how it was meant to be? Are they telling the truth? Has my entire life been a lie? How did this even happen to me? Why... why me? Why now? I just want...  
  
_But she didn't know what she wanted, anymore. All she knew was that she had to _do_ something. She couldn't stand this torturous doubt a moment longer. Better to do something, and have it done, than to waver forever on the edge and never live, never touch, never fly, never know.  
  
Later that night as she stood hidden in the alcove behind the boar statue in the entrance Hall, she wondered to herself: _Have I lost my mind? Or have I found my heart?  
  
_He came in a good two hours after her, around 3 in the morning. He walked so silently, she saw him only by the flash of movement as he started up the stairs. She slid, ghostlike, up the stairs after him. As they reached the first landing, he sensed her behind him and froze, his back still to her. Amazed at her own reckless daring after so many days of restrained and tormented decorum, she ran a hand slowly down his neck, savoring the sensation of his icy skin under her fingers. She felt his breath quicken.  
  
I'm with you, she whispered, so quietly he barely caught the treacherous words, so close that her lips almost touched his ear.  
  
Without turning, he took her other hand in his and brushed his mouth across her palm, lighter than a kiss. Then he let her go and, not looking back, walked easily up the stairs. The illusionary moonlight from the Great Hall turned his hair to gold.  
  
As Ginny stood watching him go, she marveled at her own peace of mind. After all, she had just fallen into the darkness she had fled from her whole life.  
  
But somehow, it felt like she was flying.  
  
ooooooooooo  
  
Ring around the rosie,  
A pocket full of posies  
Ashes, ashes  
We all fall down.  
- Popular children's rhyme, describing the effects of the Black Plague  
  
ooooooooo  
  
Yikes, this chapter was a long time in the making! I hope most desperately that it was worth the wait: I was trying really hard to make Ginny's emotions very believable and sincere. Hope they came across that way to you guys. I need your feedback on this one, oh most beloved reviewers: was it overdone? Underdone? Just right? Why does it sound like I'm talking about a turkey? All these questions and more could be answered in a review!! Pretty please? ;)  
  
Must thank the people who gave me the encouragement to actually finish these chapter! First of all, **coldflamez**, **FemmeDraconis**, **Rednight-rider**, **kittybro,** **HPfreakout, The Lady Quotes, Laina3, yuppers, ksinger!,** **TrickstersChoice, **and **intoxicatedinsanity**: all of you guys and your enthusiastic/humorous/just generally fantastic reviews were a constant joy and never failed to put a happy happy grin on my face! And WOW, there's a lot of you! Thank you all SO much!  
  
And, most of all, to **Kerichi **(I read the first two chapters of Tale' and I keep meaning to finish: by the end of Thanksgiving break! I promise! Just a few more weeks!) and to **BubblyFizz03 **(Uni?! Eep! How's it goin'? Can't wait to read the new and improved version of BitterSweet... another Thanksgiving project, I fear!!). You guys and your detailed and specific reviews (as well as your willingness to get me back in line when I jack something up! Yay for that!) make you, as far as I'm concerned, the best readers I have anywhere... here or on FictionAlley. Thank you so much! ::wipes a tear, blows a kiss:: Have a great day, all of you guys!  
-Scarlett  
**WARNING- CHAPTER 7 WILL PROBABLY BE A LONG TIME IN COMING! AP WORLD HISTORY IS TAKING ITS TOLL ON MY FANFICTION TIME! PLEASE ACCEPT MY APOLOGIES IN ADVANCE, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE!  
  
** Note- the quote Have I lost my mind? Or have I found my heart? is slightly adapted from Orson Scott Card's Children of the Mind, page 189. 


	7. The Powers of Toads

**ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT  
**  
Chapter Seven- The Powers of Toads

Oh, you're _joking_!

Draco blinked, brushed his hair out of his eyes, and blinked again. He had not been expecting anyone up this late in the common room, much less a shirtless Blaise Zabini, who was now laughing at him like a hyena.

What the bloody hell is your problem, Blaise? And would you _please_ put on a shirt?You have _got _to be joking! Merlin! Oh, I think I'm going to _hurl_! You and Weasley! Honestly, Draco, there's got to be something better than that piece of filth around here somewhere. It's a big school, you know. Have you tried Ravenclaw yet? I'm mean, sure, they tend to blather on, but at least....

The dark complexioned boy stopped suddenly as Draco slapped a hand across his mouth, effectively ending the mocking tirade.

Tell me, Blaise. What are you doing up so late in the first place? asked Draco with a calmness he didn't feel inside.

Gingerly peeling off the hand which restrained him, Blaise looked innocently up at Draco.

Why, spying on you, of course. Everyone knows the sneaky little Dragon's been up to _something_ lately. I just didn't think I would be the one privileged enough to discover all the gory details. So, tell me Draco. What's it been? A little job in the Astronomy Tower? A few....Nice try, but not good enough, he cut Blaise off wearily. No one here cares who does what in the night anymore. The shock wore off around third year, what with the incident with Pansy and that Hufflepuff. What are you _really_ up to?

Blaise smiled. I thought we didn't care what anyone did in the night.This is different.How do you know I haven't just come back from banging some little Gryffindor in the Charms corridor, too?I have not been _banging _Ginny, thanks so much for your confidence in my tastes, Blaise. Draco could feel an irrational rage coiling within his chest, but he struggled to repress it.

Ah, so it's _Ginny_ now, is it? And what does she call you? Her little Drakey-poo?

Draco's hand whipped out. He grabbed Blaise by the throat and pushed him bodily against the wall of the common room.

You are lying to me and you are making me sick. Your behavior is inexcusable on both counts. Spit out whatever you have to say and let me go to sleep. It's been a rough night. His glare dared Blaise to make anything out of the comment.

Blaise regarded him calmly from under half-closed lids, all traces of lighthearted mockery fled from his face.

You aren't the only one with sources outside, Malfoy, he answered coolly. You aren't the highest in authority around school, either, for all your cocky ways. Draco sneered at him.

Oh, I supposed _you _know someone higher in the ranks, do you, Zabini? he asked derisively, but a cold thread of fear was worming its icy way through his stomach. Blaise met his gaze serenely, then turned his bare left arm slightly to the side. Draco glanced down, half against his will, and saw the livid red tattoo on the boy's dark skin. He let go as if scalded.

What the hell, Blaise, he whispered. Lightning was running through his veins, a heady mix of fear and anger and excitement.

Come on, Draco, haven't you ever seen one before?' asked Blaise coldly. His eyes bored through Draco's skull. Aren't you going to ask me again what I was doing? His tone left no doubt as to the correct answer.

He paused expectantly, but Draco remained silent and still. Blaise studied him closely for a moment more, the turned and went into their dorm.

Blaise. Blaise Zabini. He was Slytherin's resident prankster, a strange, crazy, wild foreigner with no important lineage at all. Zabini was an amusing jokester, but he had no real influence, no real talent or power. He was no one of consequence. And yet _Blaise Zabini_ had been made a Death Eater before _him_, Draco Malfoy? It was a ridiculous idea! It was ludicrous! It was unthinkable! It was, he had to admit, impressive.

Draco had been the virtual leader of Slytherin since he got his prefect's badge the year before, and he had been the power in his class from the beginning. The more he thought about it, the more his outrage grew. Of course he should have been the first in their year to enter the ranks! It was his right, his honor! If this spread around the house as fast as he feared it would, what was left of his position after the deaths of both his parents would be completely eradicated. Then again, this _was_ Zabini he was dealing with. For all Draco knew, Blaise had been a Death Eater all year and just not told anybody, for some unfathomable- and no doubt highly sinister- reason of his own. Or maybe they had forbidden him to tell anyone. Or maybe, just maybe, (and this was a completely new thought to Draco) entrance into the Death Eaters meant that you had plans and interests which superseded the power struggles of Slytherin 6th years.

Draco hated being outclassed. Damn Zabini.

And how had he known about Ginny?

ooooooooooo

Becoming a traitor, Ginny had swiftly discovered, was detrimental to a good night's sleep. Yes, for all her giddy joy and newfound confidence, she had no doubt that this was a betrayal. And what could she do to change it? Not a single bloody thing. Her family and friends weren't evil, that much was obvious. They were simply gullible and blind to the facts. She could _try_ to explain to them what she now understood (the dangers of mixing with Muggles, the threats to their very existence), but she knew they would never listen. A bitter smile crossed her face. When had any of them ever listened? That was what had brought her here in the first place, she realized. The fact that no one cared, no one listened, and no one even noticed.

Until now.

Ginny recalled the bright passion in Bellatrix's eyes as she spoke of the future, a future which Ginny could be a part of, and the feeling of Draco's lips on her skin. They cared. She wasn't going to give that up, not for anything. No, all of this would just have to stay a secret until the time was ripe for her family to understand. And the time would come, of that she was sure. When it did, she would no longer be the baby, the little girl, to one who needed to be coddled and protected and lied to. She would be the only one who had seen the truth and _done_ something. She was the one who had acted. Finally, she was the one who was right.

The moonlight cut through a crack in her bed curtains and bleached her already pale face to the shade of snow. A small smile of satisfaction stole across her lips as she drifted to sleep, secure in the knowledge that she was finally safe from the dark.

ooooooooooo

Ginny! _Ginny!_ The quiet but frantic voice wormed its way into her drowsy  
brain and began to stir her thoughts back to life. She groaned and turned over, loathe to disturb the warm nest of blankets she was incased in.

Ginny! Will you wake up already! _Please_!?

She moaned. Nngghhh. Do I have to?Honestly, wake UP! The last was all but shrieked in her ear. Ginny felt disgruntled; she was _not_ a morning person and Tally knew it. What was the silly bint playing at?

Natalie, please don't take this the wrong way, but will you kindly go stick your head up your....You don't understand! Tally interrupted tearfully. This is really important, Gin!

A sudden fear shot through her. She sat up quickly, and fixed the distraught third year with an intense stare.

Is everyone all right? she asked urgently, Is something wrong? _Oh, Merlin. Ron, the twins, Harry and Hermione. Draco. _Her mind was racing, begging for their lives. _If only they're OK_.... She could feel her heart pounding, out of control. Panic was flooding through her, but she fought it down.

Confronted with the wild face of her friend, Natalie froze. Her mouth was poised to speak, but no words came. Ginny repressed the urge to shake her viciously.

she yelled. _What's happened?_

The younger girl dropped her gaze and stared, almost shamefacedly, at the floor. An sullen expression crossed her face.

You're going to think I'm stupid, she muttered sulkily.

Ginny said in a low and deadly voice. Spit. It. Out.It's the Slytherins, muttered Tally after a tense pause. Ginny waited for a brief moment.

Pray tell, what _about_ the Slytherins, Natalie, darling? she inquired, her voice dripping with exaggerated patience and politeness.

Tally looked up and met Ginny's glare with rebellious defiance, her own eyes flashing with anger.

They're gone. Every one of them. No one knows where. She turned haughtily on her heel and began to stalk out of the dorm, regardless of Ginny's still-sleeping roommates. Without warning, she pivoted back for a moment. I just thought _you'd_ want to know, she added with a slight curl of her mouth, and was gone.

Ginny stared after her, shock and anger undisguised on her face.

Where had they gone? Why had they left her behind? And what did Natalie mean by that last comment? Had she really been that careless, that Natalie might know about Draco?

Ginny buried her head in her blankets and groaned. _Just when everything was finally going to be all right._

ooooooooooo

The school was in chaotic disarray, especially for a Sunday. It was only seven in the morning, yet it seemed to Ginny when she entered the Great Hall that the entire student body was all ready there. The three crammed tables made the absent Slytherins more blatantly obvious than ever. Nervous and muted conversations could be heard throughout the Hall and many furtive glances were cast at the empty spot left by the absent house. As Ginny sat down at the edge of the Gryffindor table, she snuck at look to the front of the hall where the staff sat: Snape was glaring accusingly around at the milling students, as though he expected to find his missing students among them. Dumbledore was not there.

She met the Potions Master's roving gaze for a moment, quite by accident. She froze. _He knew. He obvious knew._ In that agonizing second as his black eyes drilled into hers, it seemed that he surely knew everything that had happened in the past two weeks. The incrimination in his gaze was crystal clear. He was going to turn her into Dumbledore, and she would surely be expelled, maybe even arrested. What was the sentence for consorting with Death Eaters? She shuddered to think. Would they send her to Azkaban? Was there any evidence to prove her guilty? Would it matter? She squeezed her eyes shut in terror and awaited her doom.

A long minute passed. The nervous whispers of the students continued around her like a tide. She opened her eyes slowly and looked again at Snape. He was now eyeing Harry, who had just come into the Hall with Ron and Hermione trailing behind him, bickering in unusually quiet voices. Snape's expression was one of exquisite loathing. If looks could disembowel, then The Boy Who Lived would have been in for some serious digestive difficulties in the very near future. Her breath escaped her in one fast relieved sigh. No Azkaban for her then, at least not this time.

After a split-second of contemplation, Ginny decided that facing Harry wouldn't be much better than facing a dementor at the moment. The memory of her altercation with the Trio the day before was still too fresh for comfort, despite her reconciliation with her brother. _How're they going to be when I finally tell them about all of this? _she wondered uneasily. No. She couldn't think about it that way. If they refused to see the truth in the end, in spite of everything, that was going to be their own problem, not hers. In the meantime, avoidance would be her policy.

Thanks to the vast crowds, this was no problem. She grabbed a muffin from the table and moved swiftly across the Hall, being sure to keep a particularly large group of second-year Ravenclaws in between her and the Trio at all times.

A few short minutes later found her standing nervously in front of a blank stretch of stone and praying the Slytherins hadn't changed their password before they left.

ooooooooooo

What do you _mean_, you didn't think she should come, you half-witted maggot? When did your foolish judgment gain precedence in your mind over my own? Did it ever enter into your tiny brain that there are things more important than your ridiculous schoolboy _crush_?

Draco felt a faint blush rising on his cheeks and refused to meet his aunt's furious gaze. There were few things in the world more frightening than an Azkaban convict in a rage. Draco fervently wished to come through this encounter unscathed, as a good many of those things were in his near future and he was going to need his wits about him if he wanted to survive _them_ as well. He was beginning to suspect that following orders unquestioningly and knowing when to keep his mouth shut was going to take him a lot farther in this new world than arrogance and disrespect always had. Luckily, with family like his, he had plenty of practice with blind and silent obedience.

Are you _listening_ to me, boy? Bellatrix hissed at him, grabbing him by the chin and forcing him to look into her eyes. For someone who was nearly a head shorter than him, she managed to convey a tremendous sense of dominance. He suppressed a smirk. It was going to be a sweet day when he could finally rise above her and bring her weeping to her knees.

The sudden fury in her gaze made his eyes widen. _Oh, shit, _he thought with a stab of realization._ Legilimency_. She must have felt his rebellion against her in his mind, and now....

That is good, she said softly, amusement and satisfaction filling her tone. You are not as weak as I thought. Something of value may have even have survived the mess your father made of your mind during your early training with him. Ambitions against your teacher are a decent start down the road to something much greater.

Her look hardened again.

But that does not excuse your blatant disregard of my direct orders concerning the girl. Her hand was out so fast he hardly noticed she had moved. He looked up and saw a glint of suppressed excitement and voracious anticipation 

I can't believe I ever doubted she was mad, was his last vague thought as he screamed and fell writhing to the floor where he had lain so many times in the past under much the same circumstances, though a different set of hungry eyes had witnessed his agony then. But never before had the white-hot pain come with such mind-blowing intensity. Bellatrix had a depth of hatred and a lust for suffering that his father could never have matched. Without warning, it overcame everything and he fell into darkness.

ooooooooooo

Twenty minutes later, when Ginny emerged from a green maelstrom of fire into a dark and dusty room in Malfoy Manor, a strange sight met her eyes.

Bellatrix Lestrange was sitting on a filthy Persian rug, ignoring the tremendous amounts of dirt which were accumulating on her robes, and muttering over a toad. Behind her, Draco was sitting on an elaborately carved mahogany chair and staring at nothing. He was even paler than usual, and his eyes looked strangely dead. Ginny felt an urge to go to him and touch him, to bring him out of his odd trance; he looked so far away.

_This is not the time to be fantasizing about Draco_, she thought firmly. _I need to be strong, I need to be calm, I need to keep my wits about me...._

You're going to have to move, Gryffindor, if I'm to be leaving this fireplace sometime in the next decade, came Blaise's amused voice from behind her. Ginny flushed a shade of tomato red that she thought only Fred and George were capable of bringing to her face. She nearly tripped over her own feet, such was her rush to get out of his way. She cursed inwardly.

_I thought you were done acting like a silly little girl, _she berated herself. _Get a grip!_

At this Bellatrix looked up, her long black hair momentarily obscuring her face.

You brought back the girl, Zabini, she said, her voice full of cool approval. Well done.I wouldn't dare to go against your command, Blaise replied, smirking at Draco. The blond boy didn't even look up. Undaunted, he continued. She was outside the common room when I returned, ready to throw a fit. Probably would have killed me if I hadn't told her where you were. It didn't take a lot of convincing to bring her along. He paused for a long moment, but Bellatrix remained silent, intent on the toad. So, why are we here? he asked suddenly.

Ginny, who had been pondering this precise question, almost let out a sigh of relief. At least she wouldn't have to expose herself to more humiliation through her pitiful ignorance.

Since you ask, Zabini, replied Bellatrix, For the next 24 hours, you three are going to help me hatch a basilisk.

A loud crash filled the room as Draco fell off his chair; apparently this comment had shaken him out of his reverie.

We're going to WHAT?! he yelled.

Be silent. You're a disgrace to your blood, boy, said Bellatrix frigidly, looking at him with what could only be described as distaste.

Ginny moved hesitantly closer to the rug where the Death Eater sat gracefully beside the lethargic toad. Yes, she could see it, almost hidden beneath the folds of green fat and flesh: an egg. She shuddered. The Dark Lord had once had a basilisk, in the Chamber of Secrets....

It's been incubating for two weeks, Bellatrix informed them quietly. It must be watched constantly from now on. If the beast hatches too soon, the toad will still be alive. In order for a basilisk to prosper, its first nourishment must be the dead flesh and warm blood of its parent. The timing of the hatching is essential. The three stared at the unborn basilisk with wonder and awe. But after a moment, Blaise looked up again.

Well, I must admit that's all very wicked, but it can't be the only reason we're here. Why did you and the others come and take us all away last night? Has something happened? I mean, you weren't exactly communicative at the time, but I did get the distinct impression that something slightly more important than a snake hatching was going on.

Bella's sharp gaze went from Blaise's shrewdly questioning face, to Draco's cold, imperious expression, and came to rest on Ginny. The redhead met her silent appraisal with an inscrutable look; her pale face showed not the slightest hint of her thoughts.

It is the beginning, Bellatrix answered simply, her eyes still on the youngest Weasley. The girl carried all their hopes now, though she didn't know it. There is no going back now.

ooooooooooo

A/N

I'm so sorry this chapter took me so long. I fervently hope it was worth the wait, despite the fact it is my second shortest chapter so far. Stupid got in the way. Hope you all enjoyed it nevertheless; it's you guys I write this for! :) Here's a really horribly long thank you to the reviewers from the last chapter---

Love, kisses, and chocolate to the following WICKED COOL PEOPLE, in no particular order: **Chucky1982** (yay for the FIA!!), **Frozen-Embers **(No comment. But well-spotted ::winks::), **Hoppers **(I love your name! Thank you very much, I'm glad you're enjoying it!), **kittybro** (yeah, escape from school is good, I must agree), **Morena Evensong **(Oh, gotta answer this one. The way I was attempting to write Draco (and he's the character is struggle the most with) was that he supported the Death Eaters all along, but with no parents to constantly remind him of his lowliness, he was becoming a bit cocky and feeling that he was too good to serve anyone. Still, he's not as strong as he thinks he is, and he tends to grovel to authority (take Umbridge for instance) so as soon as Bellatrix shows up, he's back to blind obedience. Except perhaps where Ginny is concerned.... But, in short, his little rebellion wasn't caused by some highborn instinct, but rather by arrogance and other such Draconian (dragon pun intended) traits. He's still the same old bastard, for now. Hope I answered your question; I loved it, it really made me think and reexamine my characters! Thank you!), **Kyaukii **(Grrr, evil AP! Thank you for your enthusiastic adjectives!), **HPfreakout **(Don't worry, I really don't think Muggles are evil, mainly because I'm one myself! ;) I was just trying to examine what reasons a person could have for hating them, and what sort of lies one might tell to turn someone against them. Glad you like the story so far!), **FemmeDraconis **(::blushes:: well, thanks very much! I find Dark!Ginny to be a bit frightening myself, and she's also hard to make really convincing. I'm giving it my best shot, though.) AND OF COURSE, the magnificent **Kerichi **(oh my god, I read A Tale of Two Matchmakers last week and it was SOOOOOO wonderful! I'm in the midst of writing a REALLY REALLY REALLY long review for all 19 chapters of it! The characters! The dialogue! The Shakespeare references! Terry and Blaise! Your Luna characterization! ::swoons:: Well, give a few more days and I'll have the whole monster review for it up. You know, oddly enough, I finished Dracula for the first time about a week before I started that chapter. I guess it must have influenced me more than I thought/intended. Thank you again, you are extremely wonderful! I read your reviews sometimes when I get stuck and your encouragement helps me snap out of it.)

YAY TO REVIEWERS! And a Happy December to all!  
-Scarlett  
PS I know I left a lot of questions hanging in this chapter. Don't worry, I intend to answer them all ere the end. Patience, oh most worthy readers! And eat lots of toast! I love toast! Have a nice day. :)  
-S**  
**


	8. A Lovely Light

**ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT  
**  
Chapter Eight- A Lovely Light

Don't look in its eyes.What are you on about, Weasley?Just don't look in its eyes, Zabini. Trust me.Why in Grindelwald's name should I trust _you_?

Draco rolled his eyes. You two are on the same side now, if you'd stop bickering for long enough to remember it.

Blaise rocked back on his heels and looked challengingly at the two of them. That brings up another interesting point. Since when have you been with us, little Gryffindor girl? Why, just last month you were in Potter's inner circle, sister of his best friend and all. Your family's the biggest disgrace the pureblood world's ever seen. Why the sudden change of heart? His eyes locked with hers, and though a clear mixture of suspicion and contempt was plain on his narrow features, simple curiosity was not lacking.

Ginny flushed at the slur on her family and the implication of her betrayal, but tilted her chin up defiantly. Who are you to judge _me_, Zabini? What I do is my business, not yours, no matter whose side I'm on. Draco winced slightly, recalling the livid red brand on the other boy's arm, an unmistakable mark of power. If Ginny only knew about it... well, considering it was Ginny, she might not act any different at all.

Blaise smiled blandly. But it is, apparently, Malfoy's business, isn't it?

All the furious blush in the girl's face drained away so fast that she suddenly resembled a ghost. First Tally, now Blaise. How obvious had they been?

I haven't the least idea what you're talking about, she said haughtily, turning her back on him. She crouched low again over the lugubrious toad. Blaise cocked an incredulous eyebrow at Draco, who looked back at him blankly, unwilling to either admit or deny anything. The dark-skinned boy sighed.

Whatever you say, Freckles. Sell us out and I'll kill you myself.I don't doubt it. Now shut up. Ginny was inwardly furious to a degree that even she found frightening. How dare Zabini try to humiliate her out of this? She had agreed to do it, no, she had _decided_ to do it. _This was what I wanted_, she berated herself mentally. _No pathetic smirking Slytherin is going to scare me away_. And I'm warning you, look at its eyes, and they're the last thing you'll ever see.Your information is slightly incorrect, said Bellatrix. All three jumped at the sound of her voice coming from the overstuffed love seat; not even Blaise had noticed her stealthy return. The gaze of a new hatched basilisk will merely numb or freeze the recipient, and only for a short time. Still, her advice is sound, Zabini, unless you'd like to miss out on our first mission together.Wouldn't miss it for all the gold in Gringotts, and for once there was no wryness in his voice at all. A small smile, a mere flicker of the lips, stole across her face.

I think it's hatching, whispered Ginny, so quietly that the words were almost lost. Her eyes were utterly riveted on the egg as it rocked slightly under the dead weight of the still-warm toad carcass. Absorbed in their quarreling, all three of them had missed the telltale demise of the sluggish animal. Now they gathered close around the gently quivering egg. Bent together in a circle, each was equally intent on the unborn monster, hypnotized by the small movements they could see it making against the soft and nearly translucent sheath which was all that remained of the shell.

Bella smiled to see their heads bowed together, coal black, flame red, and ash blond almost mingling. It was a Trio more than powerful enough to rival the precious three working for that foolish and senile old meddler, Dumbledore. No one would ever know the trouble she had gone through to bring these brats together and make something great of them. Nevertheless, she was certain that they would do her and her Master proud yet. Even the little Malfoy bastard. There was time yet to rectify the damage done to his loyalty by the arrogance and stupidity of his parents. She had known her sister was weak, but to ignore a potential recruit and take the boy's devotion to the cause for granted was nothing sort of negligent. It had been very satisfying to kill the silly bint for letting the Dark Lord's plan to free Lucius fail. Not that Bella had regretted the loss of her brother-in-law in the slightest. After all, had Narcissa or Lucius done anything to assist the Dark Lord in the days after his fall? No. They had hid and lied, betraying everything they held dear. Strategic duplicity was all very well, but only when it served a purpose in the Dark Lord's plans; the actions of the Malfoys were pure and simple cowardice. No wonder their spawn was so flawed and weak. Still, there was potential beneath the boy's conceited surface and she would be the one to bring it out.

Besides, her sister's death had clearly put into motion the events that brought the little Weasley fully back into her Master's power, and nothing was as sweet as that triumph, not even the masterpiece that was Blaise Zabini. A fine servant of the Dark Lord _that_ boy would be, a master spy and a brilliant fighter. Bella knew she would see him rise swiftly through the ranks, bloated as they were by incompetents and fools. But he simply didn't have the power and influence that Miss Weasley was going to hold. She shivered in pleasant anticipation. Yes, these three would go far together. An unbreakable trio, that's what she would forge them into.

Bellatrix could hardly wait to begin.

Merlin, it's beautiful, Ginny breathed. Mesmerized by the half-seen undulations of the slim and poison-green reptile, she forgot her own warning and stared openly. It slipped fluidly out from under the dead toad, shedding the wet and clinging remains of its shell and writhing in a damp circle around the warm fleshy carcass. Without hesitation, it slid its tiny fangs into the body with liquid grace. Before she could see more, Ginny felt a hand slip over her eyes and she caught her breath in surprise.

Don't watch, Miss Weasley, whispered Draco from behind her. It might be the last thing you do.

_Its eyes were still shut_, she wanted to protest, but his hand was still pressed against her face and the warmth of it distracted her. A muted gasp escaped her as he pulled her closer to him.

Well, pardon me for crashing the party, you two mad lovebirds, but could we possibly get down to business? Blaise's mocking voice penetrated Ginny's dazed mind and she broke away from Draco with stunning alacrity, conscious of the blush rising on her cheeks as she saw Blaise and Bellatrix both eyeing them with distaste.

I'll thank you to keep your minds on the task at hand, Draco, Ginny, said the Death Eater calmly. First of all, as none of us is a Parselmouth, the basilisk must be transported to the Dark Lord as quickly as possible. Blaise, I believe I can entrust you with that task?With pleasure, my lady, said Blaise, sweeping a sardonic half-bow in Bellatrix's direction. Draco and Ginny looked at her for a moment, expecting her to reprimand the Slytherin's teasing actions. But the anticipated rebuke never came. The Slytherin boy gingerly scooped up the fledgling monster, careful to keep his bare skin well away from the keen and venomous fangs. Pointedly looking away from the writhing reptile cradled in his hand, Blaise walked into the corridor and shut the door firmly behind him. Draco and Ginny shared a brief look of bemusement before Bella recalled them sharply to the present.

Tonight there is no time for your ridiculous antics and conceited foolishness. Rash actions are not going to be tolerated. If you truly want to be one of us, you must prove to me that you are capable of handling the pressure of a mission with grace and poise. You must be able to follow directions. Most of all, children, and I can't believe I'm actually forced to say this, you must be capable of keeping your hands to yourself. There are spells which could easily eradicate this immature romantic nonsense between the two of you. Do not force me to use them.

She took her wand from a concealed pocket within her tattered robes and waved it lazily at the bare stone wall to their right. A large image of Wales painted itself there within a few seconds, the waves of the Irish Sea slapping disconcertingly on the distant shoreline. Ginny thought she could smell fish. Leaning in closely, Bellatrix tapped her wand twice on the upper left corner of the image and the view dove in sickeningly close, as though they were soaring over the island. Out of the corner of her eye, Ginny saw Draco clap a hand to his mouth. He looked a sickly shade of green. Feeling like she was peering out of a window in the sky, the red-haired girl squinted at what looked like a cluster of houses, perhaps even a small village.

said Bellatrix as the view continued to swoop downward like a drunken Leprechaun.

Bless you, said Draco, swallowing in a distinctly queasy manner.

It is the name of the village, you insolent brat.Well, obviously, he retorted snarkily.

Oh, pull yourself together, Draco, snapped Ginny.

Trouble in paradise? inquired Blaise sweetly as he slipped back into the room.

If any of you were to be remotely intrigued by the matter, drawled Bellatrix in a distinctly bored tone of voice, this village is the location of our mission tonight.

A palpable and markedly uncomfortable silence filled the dusty room.

Ah, so you really _do _care. How sweet of you. Now that I have your undivided attention, be so kind as to listen.

The traveling window came to a sudden halt above one of the more secluded houses. It was large, but highly dilapidated. One could guess that the neat, well-ordered village and the people who dwelt therein were only too happy that the ramshackle house was so isolated. It breathed chaos and good-natured anarchy, and it reminded Ginny strongly of the Burrow.

The Vances, said Bellatrix, gazing at the crystal-clear image hungrily. A family of the most notorious rebels in the country. We have it from our sources that they have hidden in this house a... an object, she finished  
smoothly. If she hadn't been listening for it, Ginny would never have noticed the slight pause as Bellatrix changed what had been about to say. A quick glance at Draco proved that he hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary. Ginny was surprised. Merlin, was he _actually_ as dim as Bella and Blaise seemed to think he was?

She had underestimated him. Despite his unchanging face, Draco was listening intently to his aunt's words, and his mind was racing. A _what_, damn it! What were they after? He tried to think and let Bella's voice wash over him like a boring professor's, but her words seemed to slice their way into his brain like a Melt Charm through butter.

After we have incapacitated the rebels, Blaise and I will locate the object while you two secure an escape route. Is that all perfectly clear? Any questions at all? she inquired sharply, waving her wand and Banishing the image of the house from the stone wall.

When are we leaving? asked Ginny swiftly, not wanting to seem scared of the upcoming mission.

My, aren't we eager all the sudden. Two hours before sundown. The rebels have watchers on the Floo network, and as none of you except Blaise can Apparate....We're not going to _walk_, are we? blurted Draco in horror. It's more than a hundred miles to Wales....!Yes, Draco, she's going to make us walk a hundred miles to get to a mission we have to carry out tonight. What a brilliant conclusion, Professor Malfoy, said Blaise with a look of contrived awe and wonder on his face.

We can't risk anyone being able to track us through Prior Incantato or through any of our spells. We'll be flying, and I sincerely hope all of you are up for it. Draco, kindly supply Miss Weasley with a broom before we depart. Bellatrix's tone didn't allow for argument.

muttered Draco. Your wish is my command.Um, which one are _you_ using? Ginny could feeling Draco's eyes boring into her back and it was making her nervous. The musty broom shed was dark, save for a slice of cold winter sunlight slipping in through the slightly open door. She froze as she felt his fingers lightly brush her neck and gather up the strands of her hair that had escaped the pony tail she had thoughtlessly pulled it into.

Can't you think of _anything_ better to talk about? he asked softly, amused.

Trying desperately to ignore the sudden pounding of blood in her body and her quickened breath, she stepped away from him, farther into the shed. Even with their contact broken, she could feel him stiffen with anger... hurt?

What's your problem? he demanded. What the blazes has gotten into you?Maybe you didn't hear me properly last night, she said, attempting to control the tremble she could feel trying to worm its way into her throat.  
I'm through with you. You've been playing with me from the beginning, and I don't know why I ever thought there was anything else. There. She'd said it.

he drawled slowly, anger withdrawn to somewhere just below the surface, you didn't heard what _I _said. What's to make you think I'm done with _you_? she breathed, and spun away from him again. But he was standing in front of the door and there was nowhere to go but farther into the darkness of the broomshed.

You seemed warm enough... afterwards, said Draco in a reasonable tone of voice. What's changed since then?I forgot, The venom and anger in her voice were mixed inextricably with self-loathing.

Forgot _what_, you crazy harpy? A long pause followed his irate words. And then Ginny turned slowly around, the dying light catching in her eyes and making them glint with mad fury... or was it tears?

Oh, did you think he was interested in you for your looks, little girl? Did you think he_ loved_ you?' she spat, quoting Bellatrix with icy precision. I know how you _really_ feel, Malfoy. She was almost shouting now, the anguish no longer hidden. I'm just a stupid, gullible little girl to you, aren't I, someone you could trick for fun. Well, it worked, all right? So just drop the act. I'm not here because of you. I'm here because it's the right thing to do, she finished, her voice ending on a crack as the tears rose up and choked her. Silence filled the shed again.

You really don't understand, do you? he said quietly.

Understand _what_? she whispered desperately, trying to muffle her sobs in her sleeve.

What you're doing to me. The bitterness in his voice cut her to the bone, shocked her tears away. She stared at him, uncomprehending.

Draco writhed inside, fuming and angry. Her sobs were killing him. He wanted to take her face in his hands and brush away the tears, kiss her till she moaned, not in anguish, but in lust. He _cared_, damn it, and it was killing him. Hate and a sick desire to protect her from the pain he himself was causing battled within him. Though he clung desperately to the hate, knowing it for his own, the desire wouldn't leave. It filled him and he suddenly despised her all the more for it. And he couldn't tell her, couldn't put it into words. It was just too much.

Come on, Weasley, pick a broom, he said roughly. We don't have all day.

ooooooooooo

As Emmeline Vance gently carried her son into his own room and put him back to bed, she could hear his peaceful breath. All was well and the night was quiet. Still, before she went back to the warmth of her husband and their bed, she peered out of the window into the icy darkness for a long moment. She had no doubt that Jack had taken a child's fright at the wind in the bare branches or the passing of an owl, but it never hurt to be careful. More than 15 years in the Order had taught her that at least.

Nothing stirred in the shadows.

Nothing that she saw, at any rate.

But the danger is never in what you see.

Trusting the other three to follow her in the darkness, Bella slid slowly along the outside wall, careful to remain out off sight from the windows. Looking back, she momentarily and silently cursed the bright heads of the , as Blaise had so blatantly christened them. The moonlight reflected sharply off their hair and illuminated them like warning beacons for any spy to see. Why the little fools hadn't pulled up their hoods like herself and Blaise.... Bella gestured sharply at them; for a moment they merely blinked at her in confusion. Then Blaise reached out and swiftly yanked Ginny's hood up over her head, hard. Draco quickly followed suite and the Death Eater paused only one more moment, assessing their conspicuousness and finding it to her satisfaction, before resuming their stealthy trek around the house. It was guarded heavily but with gaps obvious to any magical housebreaker, as though the defenses had been thrown up in a hurry and were depending on their caliber to deter any who wished to gain unlawful entry. Bellatrix was confident in Blaise's ability to circumvent the flawed wards and let them in without too much fuss or warning.

She smiled. All was indeed well, and tonight would most surely be a night to remember, if it continued according to plan.

But then again, things rarely do.

ooooooooooo

Ginny could feel her heart pounding wildly as they stood, hastily concealed in the shadow of the quiet house, watching as Blaise contemplated the wards in a serene manner. From looking at him, one would think they had all night. She fidgeted nervously for a moment before Bellatrix's warning look quelled her movements. Obviously, the artistry of her pet was not to be hurried. Rolling her eyes slightly, Ginny slumped back against the wall. This mixture of anticipation and boredom was killing her. _Get a move on, Zabini!_ she begged silently, her eyes boring a hole in the back of his head.

Blaise froze. Bellatrix was instantly at his side. He hissed something venomous into her ear, then collapsed completely onto her shoulder, as though he couldn't hold himself up. Supporting his weight with ease, Bella turned and eyed Ginny with an unfathomable expression in her eyes.

If you can't suppress your impatience, girl, I suggest you take it elsewhere! she hissed, soft but furious. Ginny gasped at the unfairness. What had she done to be reprimanded? Surely Blaise's reaction couldn't be _her _fault! Could it? Draco. Get her out of here. Now. I'll signal you when all is ready. And for Grindelwald's sake, stay out of trouble. As Bella turned back to the seemingly unconscious Blaise, her eyes flicked back to Ginny and through her shock, Ginny saw something glinting in their depths. Not anger, not scorn, but... triumph? Ginny had no time no consider it, for Draco was pulling her away, around the corner of house, into the moonlight and shadow-strewn garden.

What the blazes what that? he demanded quietly once they were out of sight, releasing his death grip on her arm so fast that she tumbled into a half-pruned rosebush.

What was what? she replied calmly, too dazed by the suddenness of everything to mind the stinging of the thorns on her skin or the anger in his voice. She leaned back and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath of the cool night air, scented with the dead and rotting leaves of the garden. She could only remember feeling this free and happy once, when she had agreed to become a Death Eater. The world was luminous and spinning, just as it had been on that occasion. She wondered distantly if she was in shock. But no, her mind was clear and the moonlight was so bright, almost like sunlight....

Don't play coy, Ginny! he snarled, shaking her shoulder and jerking her out of her trance as the thorns scored her skin again. What did you just do to Blaise? She opened her eyes and tranquilly met his panicked gaze. Funny, she mused, how their positions seemed to have shifted.

Draco recoiled violently from her. The memory of another moonlit night reared violently in his mind. Shadows and light battled in her eyes, but now something even more frightening underlay it all: power. Unadulterated, unexplainable, uncontrolled and uncontrollable _power_.

They lay staring at each other for a long moment. Draco's harsh breathing was the only sound to break the still night. Then, like a bird's wing brushing against her mind, Ginny heard Bella's voice.

_We're ready. Come._

Rising swiftly, she grinned gleefully down at Draco. No time for a nap just now, Malfoy. There's work to be done. And she turned and began to slink swiftly back toward the house. He stared after her hooded figure as it disappeared into the darkness, then hurriedly followed her, thoughts running frantically through his brain.

_Bellatrix was right. She really does have the power. She can control people with a thought, with a touch, with a word._

And she's just as mad as the rest of them.  
  
ooooooooooo

My candle burns at both ends;  
It will not last the night;  
But, ah, my foes, and, oh, my friends-  
It gives a lovely light.  
-Edna St. Vincent Millay, _A Few Figs from Thistles_

ooooooooooo

A/N  
Well, thank you very much for your patience and I hope this chapter was enjoyable! It certainly took me long enough to write, but that's no guarantee of quality.... so please, review! Help make me a better writer! A good day to you, and many blessings on those who reviewed the last chapter: **w, light barrer, Griffindor Gal 05, dracoshotty, BubblyFizz03 **(yay for BubbyFizz! How's uni goin'?), **Keriching **(Ooh, new name! Same great author, though! ::grins::), **Kyaukii, Chucky1982 **(long live FIA!), **HPfreakout, **and **Hoppers**! You guys are the best, and my constant motivation! Thank you forever  
-Scarlett


	9. Moonlight Sonata

**ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT**

Chapter Nine- Moonlight Sonata

Emmanuel Vance had never been scared of the dark. But as soon as his mother closed the door softly behind her, he sat straight up in his bed. The shadows seemed to crowd around in a way that was both sinister and unreal. He could hear his own breathing, harsh and loud, ringing throughout the silent room.

A shape flickered past his window.

With the unerring instinct of a hunted animal, he threw himself hard against the wall and out of sight as the shape paused for a long moment. Was that a hooded face peering at him from the darkness? Swift as a bat, it was gone. Emmanuel collapsed on his bed, heart hammering and sweat chilling quickly on his face. After an indeterminably long moment, he forced his shaky muscles to support him again as he crawled toward the door.

He had to wake his parents. Surely, surely they could stop the darkness.

ooooooooooo

In the short time they had been gone, Blaise appeared to have recovered almost entirely. As the rest of the company filed past him into the house with Bellatrix in the lead, he gave Ginny a strange look, his eyes glittering slightly in the light of the compromised ward spells. Much to his surprise, she met his gaze with a wicked smile as she passed by him. He stared after her for a moment, then threw a furtive look behind him as he resealed the wards and slipped into the darkened house after them

Inside, the house was alarmingly creaky and cluttered. Ginny found herself jumping slightly as small squeaks and inhuman whisperings issued from dark corners. After they had passed three closed rooms, Bella paused a the foot of a flight of stairs.

Now please, listen carefully, she said quietly, her voice low but intense. Once we reach the top of the stairs, Blaise and I will go left, into the master bedroom. Draco, you and Ginny will turn right and go into the second room you come to. Inside is a tall glass cabinet. Reach inside and on the second shelf there is a small jet vial. It is quite light, and has a red etching of the front. I want you take that vial and meet us back at the top of the staircase. You must be altogether careful with that vial, do you hear me? Do not break it, do not open it, do not even shake it. Is that all _perfectly clear_? Do not go back downstairs without either Blaise or I with you. Do you understand?

Two pairs of hard eyes met her own piercing gaze and two heads bowed in sullen acquiescence. Inwardly, she smiled. It was a start.

Come, Blaise, she hissed and disappeared silently up the stairs, the rapid flick of a cloak the only sound to mark her passing; he followed her, a swift and faithful shadow. Draco and Ginny regarded each other for a long moment.

Ladies first.

And they ascended the winding stairs, climbing higher and higher, fading into the impermeable darkness.

He could hear their voices, drawing nearer and nearer to where he crouched behind a crack in the door. Desperation made his heart pound wildly; if only he'd run, just a little sooner, just a littler faster... A small sob caught in his throat. It was just like the stories, the ones his mum told, about the old days. Black cloaked figures in the night and a shining green skull, hanging in the sky. Suddenly, the faint light bleeding in from the hallway was blocked out; one of the tall figures stood frozen, just outside his door.

Filled with dread, but drawn like a moth to a flame, he leaned closer and closer to the crack, his breath all but frozen with terror. Just a little closer and he would see hood, and then... There was a sudden noise, the swish of a cloak, and the light spilled across the floor again. The figure was gone. All of his breath spilled out in a soft sigh that was more than half a sob.

The door in front of him slammed shut and he could hear the lock turn as he fell backwards to the floor in shock.

And stay there till we're ready for you, you sneaky little rat, hissed a boy's voice, light but poisonous.

Emmanuel retreated to the farthest corner of the room, panting with fear. They were coming. They were coming and nothing would stop them and he had no way to escape. His eyes flickered madly around the room, but found no hope. Curling himself up tighter in the corner, he closed his eyes and rocked his body back and forth. Not happening, not happening, not happening, not happening, just a bad dream, soon his parents would come and lull him back to sleep, he was safe, it was a dream, nothing was wrong... He felt the darkness pressing in and turned his face away.

Reaching into the dark wooden case, Draco brought out a small bottle and examined it for a moment. Ginny stood, her back to him, facing the open door with her wand out and her hand steady.

Got it? she hissed impatiently out of the corner of her mouth, turning her head as much as possible without taking her eyes away from the empty hallway.

Take a look, he said and held the bottle out to her. It was a work of art, the opaque jet glass throwing the faint light back at their eyes. Three slashes of red, like the ragged wounds of animal claws, scored jaggedly across the front. A tiny diamond winked like a star from the ebony lip of the bottle. No cork sealed the gaping mouth.

All right. Let's wait in here until... A sudden crash from the hall brought them both swiftly to attention. As if by unspoken agreement and without even a look exchanged, Ginny moved slightly to the side of the entryway, concealing herself but keeping a clear shot into the hall open as Draco did the same on the other side. After a long tense moment in which not the slightest sound could be heard from the hall, Draco eased himself cautiously out, back-to-back with Ginny and wand at the ready. All the spells he had learned or picked up as a child that might be useful in combat were running madly through his mind. Entrail-Expelling Curse, no, too messy, Severing Curse, probably not enough power, Reducto Curse, wouldn't cause enough damage, Petrificus Totalus was only a temporary solution at best, and the Cruciatus Curse was...

Not necessary, said Bellatrix calmly, stepping out from the room across from them on the other side of the staircase. She replaced her wand to her pocket after wiping it gingerly on her ragged robes. In the shadows behind her, Ginny could see Blaise crouched on the floor, leaning over what looked like... She looked away, her stomach heaving slightly. She didn't know a human body could lose that much flesh and still be in one piece.

Do you have the vial? she continued briskly, stepping in front of the door and blocking Blaise from sight. Draco held up the delicate bottle, clutched firmly in his other hand. Good. Now, there's just one more thing.

Walking halfway around the passageway, Bellatrix stopped just at the head of the stairway, next to the first room with its tightly closed door.

Come here, Ginny, she commanded softly, beckoning imperiously with her finger. Mesmerized by Bella's dark cobra stare, Ginny walked slowly down the hall toward the robed Death Eater, back straight and head held high, but her eyes dreamy.

Open the door. Her gaze still locked with Bellatrix's, Ginny did so. In the corner of the darkened room was a little boy, a boy with bright blue eyes, eyes as bright as the ocean and golden hair like the sun. He was frozen with terror, pressed against the wall and shivering as he stared at her.

Kill him. Ginny didn't seem to hear her, and neither did the boy. They stared at each other, each lost in their own world; one was pure terror, but no one save for Ginny knew what was in the other. After a long quiet moment, the slim teenager raised her hand to chest level, as if she was reaching out to the boy. Behind him, Draco heard Blaise come up quietly and freeze, caught in the burning tension of the strange tableau. Bellatrix stared with burning eyes at the two children, excitement and anticipation parting her lips with an expression somewhat akin to lust.

A part of Ginny's mind cried out in protest for the little boy, so innocent, so scared, so helpless. But over that small protesting voice lay a greater power, a consciousness that saw the boy and the animalistic fear in his eyes and felt nothing but contempt. He was little more than an insect, his tiny fluttering heart and his mind (an empty white roaring abyss of terror) the mirror image of a hunted beast. Such a coward, such a traitor was hardly worthy of life.

Venomous brown eyes met ocean blue and Ginny's hand stretched out infinitesimally farther and her breath seemed to stop for moment. Then she whispered, so softly it would have been impossible to hear, except for the deadly silence in the room:

He blinked. The feeling of pressure, of an impending storm, grew stronger in the room, but Ginny seemed untouchable by any earthly emotion or action. She didn't move, but just kept looking steadily at the boy. Entranced, Draco, Bellatrix and Blaise stared as well, but while the latter two were utterly absorbed in the child, Draco gazed unwaveringly at the red-hair girl before him. What was she becoming, the girl he had taken and made their own? What had she been before?

The little boy's eyes fluttered, then shot open with panic. He was struggling silently, fighting as hard as he could against the relentless pull she exerted. It was the tug of the moon, moving oceans in its wake, and he was the helpless swimmer, drowning in the rip tide.

Eyes narrowed with anger at his resistance, she spoke again, harder, more demanding:

At this infuriated command, the boy suddenly sat up straight and the fear seemed to melt from his eyes. Rebellion and defiance almost sparkled from them, and illuminated what had been little more than a terrified animal the moment before. He would fight. Just as his mother, and his father, and his sisters before him, he would be brave.

Ginny paused, puzzled. This wasn't right. No, it shouldn't be this way. Unconsciously, her mind strayed back to her own subjugation. No, not a command: a suggestion, an insinuation, a gentle nudging. She smiled, a cat's smile, cunning, smug, and lovely.

She swiftly crossed the room and knelt beside him, her grin widening as a slight tremor crossed his face. He flinched hard as she stretched out her hand again, but it merely came to rest gently on his head. Slowly, slowly, it ran lovingly through his hair, a mother's caress. He stared up at her, confusion and fear plain on his face. But despite the stunning tension in his muscles, he didn't move as Ginny soothing away his fears and abating his wild panic. Then, after a long moment, in a hiss that was softer and gentler than a lullaby:

His eyelids fluttered like trapped moths against a windowpane, but the spark of rebellion was extinguished. Small shadows danced across his face as his eyes finally closed and his hushed breathing slowed, weakened...

Stopped.

The harsh breathing of four people filled the room. Then, silently and without warning, Ginny wavered in her crouch on the floor and fell over the body of her victim in a dead faint. Her red hair escaped the black hood and spilled across the floor like a pool of blood.

said Bellatrix slowly, a wicked smile beginning to steal across her face, It appears our search is ended. Blaise stared down at Ginny, a wondering look on his narrow face. When we return...

The sudden crack of Apparition cut off her words. As swift as a shadow, Bellatrix flew across the room and slapped Ginny hard across the face. Her eyes fluttered open and stared at the furious woman, uncomprehending.

she hissed wildly, and hauled the girl to her feet. What are you doing sitting there staring? They're here! she snarled at the two boys. Downstairs, now, and don't damage that vial! Blaise dashed off, down the stairs two at a time with Draco hot on his heels. Bellatrix grabbed Ginny's arm in a painful grip and dragged her away from the small body on the floor, pulling out her wand as she went. Pale and unseeing, Ginny followed obediently.

The Aurors had surrounded the house. Draco could hear their grim voices, calling commands and uttering binding spells around the perimeter. He felt panic welling up and flooding through his veins. Blaise spun around to face him; they moved together and stood back to back in the center of the entrance hall, wands drawn and faces tense. Any second now, the splintering of the front door and then...

What in Merlin's name are you two doing? Preparing for some imbecilic last stand? shrieked Bellatrix furiously from the top of the stairs. Still supporting Ginny with one hand, she whipped her wand violently threw the air next to the door and screamed _Accio broomsticks_!. The power of her spell shot the brooms straight through the wall without even a scratch on them. Stunned, Blaise and Draco caught their own brooms as they soared through the air. Above them, Bellatrix expertly fielded both her and Ginny's brooms, then pointed her wand to the arched ceiling above them.

As the debris rained down, nearly impaling them on shattered glass and splintered wooden beams, all four of the Death Eaters swooped and spun wildly, finally shooting through the gaping hole Bella had blasted. Ginny clung weakly to Bellatrix's broom, the older woman's weight behind her the only thing that kept her from tumbling to the earth during their vertical plunge. She could feel hot breath like a dragon's against her cheek and it made her moan, half-deliriously. Suddenly, she felt something rough being shoved into her hand. It scraped roughly against her fingers, slightly splintered and pricking uncomfortably.

Do it, hissed a voice behind her, demanding, but oddly anxious, almost nervous. You know the incantation.

Lost in her own mental fog, Ginny felt a memory come drifting upward. Not her own; at least, she didn't think so. It was so beautiful, glittering and majestic against the sparkling night sky, a sign of her victory to all the world below it. A smile flitted dreamily across her face.

she shrieked to the cold night, louder than a banshee, wilder than a harpy. Gasps came from the obscured shapes above her as the Dark Mark blossomed brightly below like a poisonous lotus, its green sparks vying with the stars for luminousness amidst the night shadows.

As Ginny fell back into the warm mist in her mind, she breathed in the freezing air and tasted the sharp promise of snow on it. A voice behind her seemed to whisper, quieter than the icy breeze, Well done, little one. But maybe it was just the wind, after all. Suddenly, they plunged together after the swift dark shapes hovering above her, into the darkness that shone and sparkled with promise.

ooooooooooo

So, let me get this straight. Doe she even know? Does she even _understand_? I mean, for Merlin's sake, does she remember?Of course she remembers. Don't be ridiculous. Whether she accepts it or not, just yet... well, that remains to be seen. But she can't escape it, try through she might.And yet you're satisfied, I see.Ah, yes.But it was hardly a success. Honestly, she's just as likely to turn as before, if not more!Does it seem that way to you?Well, frankly, yes.Ah, how little you see of it, love. It's a long and twisted path that brought her back to us, but even one such as she knows when she is home.

She leaned down and ran her fingers through his hair, across his lips.

Whereas you, my pet, you were never lost.

ooooooooooo

Ginny leaned back against the mossy tree trunk and stretched languorously. The warm murky light filtering through the branches made her sleepy, sinking into her bones and lulling her into a warm trance...

Mustn't lie around in forests unaware, Miss Weasley, came a soft, breathless voice from behind in her ear, as warm fingers brushed against her face, then strayed lower. Who knows what might be lurking around these days?I shudder to think, she retorted softly, sliding against the fallen leaves, teasingly avoiding his touch. He muttered mutinously for a second (she thought she might have caught the word , but then, maybe not), then slid around the tree and pounced, pinning her effectively to the ground as he grabbed her hair and pulled her head back, exposing and trapping her in one swift movement.

How did you manage to get away so early, clever little girl? he asked calmly, feeling her writhe slightly beneath him, then running his tongue slowly along her neck, just where her pulse fluttered wildly.

Well, you know, she replied casually, trying to keep her voice steady as his while his touch tantalized her, but failing miserably. Still playing the poor disturbed little hostage' angle. Works wonders. Must be a better actress than I -here she gasped slightly as Draco found an especially sensitive spot on her throat- than I thought. he replied, noncommittally. What about Natalie?

When Ginny had returned to the Slytherin common room, bloody and disheveled the next morning, it was Natalie who found her first. But the third year had been remarkably closed-mouthed about the whole matter, taking Ginny's cover story smoothly along with rest of them. After all, it made perfect sense. Who better for the Death Eaters to take prisoner for one of their sick, convoluted blood-rituals than sweet, innocent little Ginny Weasley? And if she seemed a little less than perturbed by the matter, well, these things took time to recover from. Poor little girl, with such a dark past, too. Sometimes the world just wasn't fair.

It was Blaise who first warned them about Tally, although he remained uncharacteristically reticent regarding the root of his suspicions. Still, Ginny faithfully kept an eye on the potential recruit for any sign of change or rebellion. It was harder without Draco there to help her, but with the whole former House of Slytherin now busily engaged in training, his continued absence from Hogwarts remained necessary.

She's... quiet, answered Ginny, absently pushing Draco away for a moment. He smirked slightly. Does Blaise ever say anything about her? Why he thinks she'll turn? Mind you, she was acting awfully suspicious before I left.Not a word. It's odd. Wonder what he did to her. Ginny swatted at him playfully.

Nothing you didn't do to me, I'm sure.

Draco grew serious in his turn. I don't know. I think I used to underestimate Blaise, before all of this happened. A dark image flashed before his eyes for a second, of Blaise leaning over a twisted body, but it faded swiftly in the afternoon sunlight. He shook his head for a moment. Won't be making that mistake again.

Ginny leaned back against the ground again, and Draco propped himself on an elbow above her. She smiled to see the sun slide off his hair as it fell slightly across his troubled eyes.

So, what's the news, anyway? Or did you just call me out here to have your wicked way with me? she asked mockingly, as much to distract him from the memories of that night as anything else. At her words, his eyes cleared and he seemed to see her again, hair scattered messily among the rotting leaves.

As agreeable as I would be to such a venture, he replied lightly, There is news. Good news, for once. Bella wants us for the next meeting. She says,He paused for a moment, swallowed, took a breath. She's says it's time.

At the last words, Ginny sat bolt upright, regardless of the woodland debris she scattered.

Oh, Draco, she whispered breathlessly. Finally. It's going to be for real.

He ran his hand softly up her arm, pushing back her sleeve and tracing the unsullied white skin which would soon bear the Mark. His Mark. Her Mark. Their Mark. He smiled.

he agreed softly. Just what you always wanted.

A small frown creased her forehead. Aren't you getting it as well?Of course. Right beside you. He slid up his sleeve to reveal his own unmarked skin. They stared for a moment at their arms, side by side.

she whispered, and took his hand in hers.

He didn't answer, just tightened his grip until the blood drained away. The pain was almost like a promise.

And after? she asked, still staring at their interlocked hands.

We're still going to need you as a spy, of course, and to recruit. Bella said she'll give you a blood charm, one of the new ones, to hide it up so you can stay undercover. Draco carefully did not mention his own suspicions regarding Ginny's future after she received the Mark. Bellatrix's lecture in the forest that night was enough to keep him quiet. Besides, he doubted that even Ginny understood the implications of that night, their first mission together. He knew that no one had explained it to her. But the time was coming, that much was sure. Whether she would be ready was another matter entirely. He shuddered inwardly. Not his problem.

Not what I meant, you innocent little serpent. I was talking about Bellatrix and Blaise, always being so superior. I mean, we aren't going to let _that_ go, now are we? Her eyes sparkled wickedly up at him, the perfect mirror of the day they first kissed. I _know_ you're better than Blaise, and as for your aunt and I... well, give me time. After all, we can't let them have all the glory in the ranks.Mm, wouldn't dream of it, he retorted, leaning down again to capture her mouth with his. But he must have been too gentle, because she bit his lip, hard. A trickle on his blood dripped onto her lips as he gasped in surprise and ground her roughly into the ground in hungry retaliation. She laughed breathlessly and licked it off, first of her mouth, then of his, savoring the taste. It was dark, and sweet, and sick, and right.

Just like life.

ooooooooooo

Into the vial, where a small pool of basilisk's blood lay wetly congealed, the woman dropped carefully three hairs: ash blond, midnight black, fire red. The blood hissed and frothed for a moment as the strands sunk into it and disappeared, sending up a plume of smoke that twisted like snakes in the afternoon light. Then, as the thin mist above the vial cleared, the dark-haired witch leaned close over it and dropped inside a few precious grains of the substance she had spent so many long months searching for.

Moondust.

As the white powder settled on the shimmering surface of the blood, it seemed to glaze over in a moment, darkening and hardening until it shone with an icy edge. It glistened like a sliver of obsidian, bent in the curve of an angel's wing or a serpent's tongue.

They were bound now, an unbreakable trio. Bound by blood and death and moonlit madness.

She slid the stone out of the vial and onto a slender silver chain around her neck, smiling.

"Peace, my lord," she whispered, more to herself than to the presence she knew was watching. "The charm's wound up."

ooooooooooo

Never trust. Never love. Never tell.  
Ill Met By Moonlight.

ooooooooooo

A/N

Well, it's been a long, random, crazy journey. First off, I know I left a lot of questions hanging. One of them (what is up with Tally and Blaise?) I intend to answer in a one-shot in a couple of months. I left most of the other questions in order to keep the way open for a sequel. I may or may not write it, depending on my whim and how bored I get this summer. Any other questions/complaints/comments? Review and leave an address so I can wrote you your own personal reply, or just e-mail with whatever you want to know. Seriously , do it! It would make me so happy, you have no idea. Constructive criticism is appreciated, as I can use it in future writing endeavors.

I'm sorry if some of you didn't like how this fic turned out. Despite the fact that there was not great redemption or happy fairy tale ending, I am quite content with it myself. Never fear, there are many, many, MANY redeemed!Draco fics out there. I just didn't feel that I could write one myself. I hope you don't consider your time wasted in reading this story. I had the time of my life writing it, and I really hope it gave you at least some enjoyment.

Oh, and by the by, I do NOT condone the killing of small children! I really didn't want to kill Emmanuel. I liked him a lot and felt quite terrible for him myself, but horrible things happen when you're a Death Eater. So, don't tell me I'm a terrible person. It was just what the plot demanded. My apologies to any I may have offended.

Thank you so very much for reading, and I hope to see you all again someday. Thanks for everything. Oh, and by the way, it's my birthday tomorrow, sweet 16 and all. Just thought I would mention it. So excited!

Love forever,

Scarlett

PS Please Review!

Thanks to all these reviewers from the last chapter. You guys are all that keeps the words flowing some days. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In no particular order:

lostfish, mahlie, Pii Rainwalker, Femme Draconis (thanks for sticking with me, kid! You've been here just about the whole time. Thank you!), Kyaukii (ditto to you:grins:), Pia O'Leary, notdapunkprincess, shadieladie (I HEART your name!), HPfreakout, Kerichi (Oh my god. What can I say. Your faithful reviews have meant... so much to me. So much. You always actually had something intteresting and thoughtful to say. You ALWAYS reviewed. I mean, wow. Thank you. Now I can go and actually read the rest of YOUR spectacular story. YAY!), Jamie, Goetzi, Kermit (good call! No one ever seemed to get that. :grins:), w (thanks, I quite agree!), light barrer, Griffindor Gal 05, draco shotty, and BubblyFizz03 (Man, you are great. Great is the only word. Hope uni is going well!)

Thank you. Thank you for eternity.

-S


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